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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 · foot · lash · kid · swing · root · last · toast

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. spell — letters
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. last — finally
  6. spell — magic
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. last — final
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — to tease
  14. swing — in golf
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. swing — to play on
  17. spell — a short time
  18. last — to go on
  19. root — the cause
  20. toast — bread
  21. kid — child
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. swing — music

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