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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: file · last · snap · jam · club · toast · bat · row

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. last — final
  6. row — to paddle
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. club — a group
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bat — the animal
  11. file — a document
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. club — for golf
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. toast — bread
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. club — for dancing
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. row — a line
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. last — finally
  24. snap — to click

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