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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: last · wave · rock · object · file · rest · bat · toast

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. file — a tool
  3. rock — music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. last — to go on
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. file — a line of people
  9. object — an aim
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. object — a thing
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. file — a document
  15. last — final
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. last — finally
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. object — to protest
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. toast — bread

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