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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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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 put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. last — to go on
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. chip — to eat
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. last — final
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bound — obliged
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. content — happy
  16. toast — bread
  17. content — the amount
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. chair — a leader
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. last — finally
  24. bound — certain

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