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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: rush · toast · rash · wake · track · bowl · lash · bat

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. toast — bread
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rash — a series
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. track — to keep track
  10. wake — a trail
  11. track — a song
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. track — a path
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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