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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: rush · face · toast · key · scale · rash · last · roll

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rush — hurry
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. last — finally
  6. face — part of the head
  7. roll — a cake
  8. toast — bread
  9. scale — in music
  10. rash — a series
  11. face — to point toward
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. roll — a list
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. last — final
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. key — for a lock
  19. face — to confront
  20. last — to go on
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. scale — size or range
  24. roll — on a roll

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