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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: toast · lash · cold · last · rash · land · bore · rule

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. toast — bread
  7. land — to come down
  8. last — final
  9. land — a country
  10. rash — a series
  11. rule — government
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. land — ground
  14. rash — hasty
  15. last — to go on
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. last — finally
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. lash — an eyelash

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