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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: staff · ruler · lean · last · toast · present

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. staff — employees
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. last — to go on
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. lean — to bend
  8. staff — employees
  9. present — the time now
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. present — there
  12. lean — thin
  13. last — final
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. last — finally
  18. present — a gift

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