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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 · saw · date · toast · stand · craft · content · rest

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. content — happy
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rest — a break
  6. content — the amount
  7. saw — the tool
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — the tool
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. craft — boats
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rush — hurry
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. rest — what's left
  24. toast — bread

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