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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: chair · fork · cabinet · last · toast · chip

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — finally
  4. chair — a leader
  5. toast — bread
  6. fork — in a road
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. last — final
  12. chip — for betting
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. toast — the most admired

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