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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 116 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: rest · rash · mark · bowl · saw · craft · last · race

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. race — the arms race
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. race — humankind
  10. rash — a series
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rest — a break
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. race — a contest
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. rest — what's left

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