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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. suit — in cards
  3. date — the fruit
  4. rash — a series
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. suit — to fit
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. toast — bread
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rash — hasty
  19. suit — clothes
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. court — of a king
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. file — a document

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