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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 · capital · bulb · safe · saw · last · temple

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. last — finally
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. last — final
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. toast — bread
  9. last — to go on
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. capital — money
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — a city
  16. bulb — for light
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. saw — the tool

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