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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. season — in sport
  11. stand — to bear
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mark — a trace
  15. chair — a leader
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wind — moving air
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. season — of the year

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