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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
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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: chair · land · can · firm · toast · field · bore · mate

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. land — a country
  3. field — farmland
  4. mate — a partner
  5. toast — bread
  6. chair — a leader
  7. can — to be able to
  8. field — for sport
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. can — a tin
  11. bore — to drill
  12. can — a tin
  13. bore — to tire
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — a company
  16. land — to come down
  17. firm — steady
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. field — a subject
  23. land — ground
  24. mate — to breed

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