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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: ground · race · toast · trunk · cap · mug · hand · staff

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. toast — bread
  3. race — a contest
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ground — a position
  9. staff — a stick
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. hand — in cards
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. cap — a lid
  16. hand — help
  17. mug — a cup
  18. ground — crushed
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cap — a hat
  21. mug — a face
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mug — to rob
  24. race — humankind

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