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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: rule · club · cold · date · last · craft · toast · foot

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. cold — not warm
  3. craft — a skill
  4. last — finally
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. club — for golf
  7. date — the fruit
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. toast — bread
  16. cold — an illness
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. club — a group
  19. foot — a measure
  20. club — for dancing
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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