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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 · fine · shower · foot · last · row · sharp · cue

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. shower — rain
  4. fine — high quality
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. row — a line
  9. cue — a hint
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fine — all right
  14. row — to paddle
  15. foot — a measure
  16. sharp — clever
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. cue — for pool
  23. toast — bread
  24. last — finally

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