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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 · ruler · snap · bat · tear · chair · mark · toast

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. tear — from crying
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. snap — to click
  9. toast — bread
  10. mark — a trace
  11. last — finally
  12. chair — a leader
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. tear — to rip
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. mark — a grade
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mark — to pay attention

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