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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: clip · cell · content · cue · toast · rush · march · wake

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. march — music
  5. cell — in biology
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. content — the amount
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. clip — for paper
  15. toast — bread
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. content — happy
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. clip — a video
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. rush — hurry

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