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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: stand · snap · fork · cell · squash · ground · toast · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. squash — to crush
  4. toast — bread
  5. snap — to click
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ground — a position
  8. squash — the sport
  9. rest — a break
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rest — what's left
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. stand — to bear
  23. ground — the earth
  24. squash — the vegetable

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