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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: tear · press · saw · last · toast · court · bass · rest

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tear — from crying
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — final
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bass — low music
  8. press — newspapers
  9. last — finally
  10. court — of law
  11. tear — to rip
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rest — a break
  14. press — to push
  15. toast — bread
  16. court — of a king
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — for sport
  21. tear — from crying
  22. press — a publisher
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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