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

Word bank: toast · date · rule · coach · sharp · wake · wind · content

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rule — government
  9. content — happy
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wind — moving air
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rule — a law
  16. wind — moving air
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. date — the fruit
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. toast — bread

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