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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: wound · pop · court · straw · fork · arm · last · toast

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. toast — bread
  5. last — to go on
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. last — final
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. last — finally
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. court — for sport
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. court — of law
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. court — of a king
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. pop — music
  24. fork — in a road

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