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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: straw · rush · temple · date · scale · toast · chest · fall

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  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. scale — for weighing
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. chest — a box
  7. scale — in music
  8. fall — the season
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fall — to drop
  11. chest — of your body
  12. date — the fruit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rush — hurry
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. date — on the calendar
  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