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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
468
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: rash · squash · toast · spell · bore · fork · cue · straw

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. toast — bread
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rash — a series
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rash — hasty
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bore — to drill
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. squash — to crush
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. fork — in a road
  21. spell — magic
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. toast — the most admired

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