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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. land — a country
  3. land — ground
  4. mate — a partner
  5. toast — bread
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fall — the season
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. can — a tin
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chair — a leader
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fall — to drop
  21. land — to come down
  22. can — a tin
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. chair — a professorship

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