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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 · staff · rush · jam · file · ball · fine · wind

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wind — moving air
  3. file — a document
  4. staff — a stick
  5. toast — bread
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. staff — employees
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fine — all right
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fine — high quality
  16. ball — a great time
  17. file — a line of people
  18. ball — a dance
  19. file — a tool
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. staff — employees
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — to spread on 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