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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 · chair · tear · bay · stick · craft

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. toast — bread
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. chair — a leader
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. tear — from crying
  10. craft — boats
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. craft — a skill
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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