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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: last · bay · wind · rule · toast · scale · rest · ball

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. toast — bread
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. last — finally
  9. rule — government
  10. ball — a dance
  11. last — final
  12. scale — in music
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. scale — size or range
  15. last — to go on
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. rule — a law
  19. rest — a break
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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