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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: cell · fall · net · can · toast · wake · foot · last

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. net — in sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. last — finally
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. net — for catching
  13. fall — to drop
  14. net — after costs
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fall — the season
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — a tin
  21. toast — bread
  22. foot — a measure
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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