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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: tear · last · rush · toast · firm · bowl · hand · bore

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. rush — hurry
  4. last — final
  5. hand — help
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bore — to tire
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. firm — steady
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. hand — in cards
  15. firm — a company
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. tear — from crying
  21. last — finally
  22. tear — from crying
  23. firm — decided
  24. last — to go on

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