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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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Word bank
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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: content · kid · coach · nail · toast · rock · last · bark

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. last — finally
  6. rock — music
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bark — to shout
  9. toast — bread
  10. kid — child
  11. last — to go on
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. content — happy
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. content — the amount
  20. rock — a stone
  21. last — final
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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