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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 · last · safe · mine · lash · pitcher · field

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. mine — for digging
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. last — to go on
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. toast — bread
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. field — a subject
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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