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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: toast · chest · object · pass · present · mate

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. present — a gift
  4. chest — of your body
  5. toast — bread
  6. mate — a friend
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mate — to breed
  9. present — there
  10. pass — a permit
  11. present — the time now
  12. mate — a partner
  13. chest — of your body
  14. object — an aim
  15. chest — a box
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. object — a thing

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