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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: spell · pound · rush · rest · kid · nail · cap · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. rest — a break
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pound — a weight
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cap — of ice
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. kid — child
  14. rest — what's left
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cap — a lid
  21. spell — letters
  22. cap — a hat
  23. kid — to tease
  24. nail — for a hammer

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