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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: chair · toast · leaves · ruler · tube · shower · club · bat

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bat — the animal
  3. tube — a container
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. club — a group
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. toast — bread
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. club — for dancing
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. club — for golf
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. chair — a leader

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