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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: toast · bat · squash · rule · lie · rush · chip · rest

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rule — a law
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. toast — bread
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. rule — government
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rest — a break
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chip — for betting
  20. rest — what's left
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chip — in a computer

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