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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · degree · saw · perch · fan · toast · temple · stock

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. degree — temperature
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chair — a leader
  13. degree — from a university
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stock — shares
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. stock — goods
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. saw — the tool
  21. toast — bread
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. saw — the tool
  24. perch — the fish

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