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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: saw · toast · chair · last · racket · wake · pound · snap

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. toast — bread
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — a leader
  8. wake — a trail
  9. last — to go on
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pound — a weight
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — finally
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. last — final
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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