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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: toast · ball · wake · rash · scale · firm · foot · last

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. firm — decided
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ball — a dance
  7. last — to go on
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. last — finally
  10. scale — size or range
  11. last — final
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rash — a series
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. toast — bread
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. scale — in music
  20. firm — a company
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wake — a trail
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. foot — part of the body

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