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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: last · rest · toast · kid · mark · hide · bore · arm

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. toast — bread
  3. mark — a grade
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bore — to drill
  7. last — finally
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kid — child
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. last — to go on
  20. kid — to tease
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. rest — a break

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