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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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 — bread
  2. bank — of a river
  3. object — to protest
  4. game — a match
  5. content — the amount
  6. bank — for money
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. field — for sport
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. field — a subject
  11. game — wild animals
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. object — an aim
  15. bank — for money
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. chair — a leader
  21. field — farmland
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. object — a thing
  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