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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · net · file · wake · pitch · bear · fan · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. net — for catching
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. net — after costs
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rush — hurry
  12. file — a document
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. net — in sport
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bear — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. file — a tool
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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