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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: toast · game · spell · squash · band · mouse · rest · last

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. toast — bread
  3. last — final
  4. squash — to crush
  5. band — a music group
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. squash — the sport
  10. spell — letters
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. band — a ring
  14. spell — magic
  15. rest — a break
  16. last — finally
  17. rest — what's left
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. rest — what's left
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. last — to go on
  24. spell — a short time

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