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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: rest · race · craft · present · capital · hand · toast · bass

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — there
  4. race — the arms race
  5. rest — a break
  6. craft — a skill
  7. toast — bread
  8. race — humankind
  9. hand — help
  10. present — a gift
  11. capital — a city
  12. race — a contest
  13. rest — what's left
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rest — what's left
  17. craft — boats
  18. capital — money
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. toast — the most admired

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