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

Word bank: toast · rule · straw · arm · rock · tear

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rock — a stone
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rule — a law
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. rock — music
  11. rule — government
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. straw — to clutch at straws

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