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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: game · march · foot · rest · branch · ruler · toast · bass

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. rest — a break
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. march — the month
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. march — music
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. toast — bread
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bass — the fish
  18. foot — a measure
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — low music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. rest — what's left
  24. game — a match

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