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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. toast — bread
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. last — finally
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. hand — help
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. last — to go on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rock — music
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. last — final
  24. bat — the animal

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