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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. last — finally
  2. rash — hasty
  3. club — for golf
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. foot — a measure
  7. tear — from crying
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. sharp — clever
  11. tear — to rip
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. last — to go on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. rash — a series
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. last — final
  23. club — a group
  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