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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: rock · deal · toast · rush · wake · roll · hand · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. roll — a cake
  9. hand — in cards
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. rock — music
  12. roll — a list
  13. march — the month
  14. rock — a stone
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. march — music
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wake — a trail
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. hand — help

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