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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rush — hurry
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. snap — to click
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. toast — bread
  14. rash — a series
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. date — the fruit
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rash — hasty

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