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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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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: race · chip · craft · toast · land · straw · rest · bulb

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. race — humankind
  4. craft — a skill
  5. race — a contest
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chip — to eat
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. bulb — for light
  11. craft — boats
  12. chip — for betting
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. toast — bread
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rest — a break
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. land — a country
  24. race — the arms race

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