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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: temple · land · deal · squash · toast · last · rush · rule

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rule — a law
  8. rush — hurry
  9. deal — to handle
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rule — government
  13. land — a country
  14. last — finally
  15. land — ground
  16. last — final
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. squash — to crush
  20. last — to go on
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. toast — bread
  24. deal — a big deal

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