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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 · trunk · fine · last · nail · season · rock · jam

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fine — all right
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — bread
  11. season — of the year
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — music
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. season — in sport
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fine — high quality
  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