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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: toast · rush · safe · wind · rash · object · fork · chip

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. object — to protest
  6. toast — bread
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. object — a thing
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — a series
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. object — an aim
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fork — in a road
  23. wind — moving air
  24. chip — in a computer

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