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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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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: rest · swing · ruler · toast · last · bark · club · field

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. toast — a drink to someone
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. club — for golf
  4. field — farmland
  5. rest — what's left
  6. toast — bread
  7. swing — music
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. club — a group
  13. swing — to play on
  14. field — a subject
  15. last — finally
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. last — to go on
  18. field — for sport
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. last — final
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rest — a break
  23. bark — of a tree
  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