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

Word bank: deal · chest · drill · chair · toast · bear

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. drill — army training
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chest — a box
  9. bear — the animal
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. deal — to handle
  12. drill — a practice
  13. toast — bread
  14. chair — a leader
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. drill — the tool
  18. chest — of your body

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