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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · toast · straw · net · rash · cold · fan · wake

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. sharp — clever
  3. wake — a trail
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. net — for catching
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. net — after costs
  13. cold — not warm
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — in sport
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. toast — bread
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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