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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: rock · ball · fork · band · shower · game · toast · last

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. ball — a dance
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. fork — in a road
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. last — final
  9. toast — bread
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. game — wild animals
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rock — music
  15. last — to go on
  16. shower — rain
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. game — a match
  19. last — finally
  20. shower — to wash
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. rock — a stone

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