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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · date · craft · mate · stick · chair

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — a partner
  4. toast — bread
  5. craft — boats
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mate — a friend
  9. date — the fruit
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. chair — a leader
  12. craft — a skill
  13. mate — to breed
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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