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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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Word bank
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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bear — the animal
  5. toast — bread
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. chest — a box
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. content — happy
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. content — the amount
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bear — the animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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