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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bank — for money
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chest — of your body
  11. field — a subject
  12. bank — for money
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. deal — to handle
  15. field — for sport
  16. bank — of a river
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. last — finally
  19. chest — a box
  20. last — final
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. last — to go on
  23. field — farmland
  24. deal — an agreement

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