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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. hand — in cards
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cue — for pool
  9. last — final
  10. rock — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. rock — a stone
  14. last — to go on
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. cue — a hint
  23. last — finally
  24. pitcher — a jug

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