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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 · march · lash · row · key · staff · mouse · rule

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. toast — bread
  4. staff — employees
  5. row — to paddle
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. march — music
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. key — in music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. march — the month
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. key — for a lock
  14. march — the month
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. row — a line
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rule — a law
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rule — government
  24. row — a quarrel

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