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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: mug · sharp · toast · last · arm · mine · club · rule

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mug — a cup
  3. last — final
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. club — a group
  7. mug — to rob
  8. sharp — clever
  9. club — for golf
  10. mug — a face
  11. mine — for digging
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. last — to go on
  15. club — for dancing
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. last — finally
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. toast — bread
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rule — a law
  24. sharp — with an edge

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