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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: last · squash · toast · kick · tear · rule · rash · snap

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. squash — to crush
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. rash — a series
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — finally
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. last — final
  15. kick — in football
  16. toast — bread
  17. rule — government
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. last — to go on
  21. snap — to click
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rule — a law
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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