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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: land · straw · toast · race · tube · foot · capital · club

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. capital — money
  3. race — the arms race
  4. land — to come down
  5. capital — a city
  6. tube — the underground
  7. foot — a measure
  8. club — for golf
  9. land — ground
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. race — a contest
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. race — humankind
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. tube — a container
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. club — a group
  20. toast — bread
  21. land — a country
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. club — for dancing

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