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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: last · toast · date · drill · present · current · shower · stand

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stand — to bear
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. present — there
  6. current — of water
  7. present — a gift
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. drill — a practice
  11. current — electric
  12. drill — the tool
  13. shower — to wash
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. shower — rain
  16. last — final
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. current — happening now
  20. last — finally
  21. present — the time now
  22. drill — army training
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. last — to go on

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