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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: chest · toast · fan · mine · wound · lie · chip · fine

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. wound — an injury
  3. chip — to eat
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chip — for betting
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. toast — bread
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chest — a box
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. fine — all right
  24. chest — of your body

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