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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 · key · file · leaves · lash · hand · sharp · wake

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. key — for a lock
  3. sharp — clever
  4. key — in music
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. file — a document
  9. wake — a trail
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. hand — help
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hand — in cards
  14. toast — bread
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. file — a line of people
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. file — a tool
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. key — the most important part

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