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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: arm · last · ball · band · lash · game · toast · wake

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. ball — a dance
  5. toast — bread
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. last — to go on
  12. wake — a trail
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. last — final
  15. band — a music group
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. game — a match
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. lash — an eyelash

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