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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. land — to come down
  8. chair — a leader
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. can — a tin
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — a country
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. can — to be able to
  21. foot — a measure
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. land — ground

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