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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 · club · scale · key · bore · rest · wind · rush

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. club — a group
  10. scale — in music
  11. wind — moving air
  12. key — in music
  13. bore — to drill
  14. key — for a lock
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. club — for golf
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rest — what's left
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. scale — size or range
  22. key — the most important part
  23. toast — bread
  24. rest — a break

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