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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: chest · march · present · firm · shower · toast

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. firm — decided
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. shower — rain
  6. march — the month
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. present — there
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. chest — of your body
  11. shower — to wash
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. march — music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. toast — bread
  16. march — the month
  17. present — the time now
  18. chest — a box

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