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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: present · date · chair · toast · stick · calf

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. date — the fruit
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. chair — a leader
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. toast — bread
  16. present — the time now
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. present — a gift

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