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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 · toast · nail · bowl · deal · ruler · rule · chest

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. last — to go on
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. chest — of your body
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. chest — a box
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. chest — of your body
  17. last — finally
  18. last — final
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rule — a law
  21. deal — to handle
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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