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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 · patient · sharp · foot · swing · rash · cue · snap

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. sharp — clever
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rash — hasty
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. toast — bread
  9. rash — a series
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cue — a signal
  13. swing — in golf
  14. foot — a measure
  15. swing — to play on
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. swing — music
  24. patient — a sick person

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