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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: march · rash · rest · game · roll · last · deal · stick

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — a match
  4. last — final
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rash — a series
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. last — to go on
  10. march — music
  11. rest — a break
  12. roll — a list
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. last — finally
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. game — a kind of play

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