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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: deal · last · coach · nail · foot · rest · roll · pop

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pop — to visit
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. roll — a cake
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. last — final
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. last — finally
  12. rest — a break
  13. last — to go on
  14. roll — a list
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pop — music
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pop — soda
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. foot — a measure

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