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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: squash · rock · row · last · march · rest · toast · ball

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. march — the month
  12. rest — what's left
  13. march — music
  14. rock — music
  15. last — to go on
  16. squash — to crush
  17. rest — a break
  18. march — the month
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rock — a stone
  21. toast — bread
  22. last — finally
  23. row — to paddle
  24. squash — the sport

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