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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · bulb · toast · last · chip · land · cabinet · straw

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. last — finally
  3. firm — a company
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. land — a country
  6. toast — bread
  7. firm — steady
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bulb — for light
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — to go on
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — ground
  17. chip — for betting
  18. firm — decided
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. last — final
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. chip — to eat

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com