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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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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: lash · chest · toast · wave · club · mark · rest · date

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. toast — bread
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. club — for golf
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. date — the fruit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chest — a box
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — a group
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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