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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: present · toast · cold · suit · foot · saw · mark · wound

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. saw — the tool
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wound — an injury
  7. present — there
  8. suit — clothes
  9. foot — a measure
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mark — a grade
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. present — the time now
  17. toast — bread
  18. wound — an injury
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cold — not warm
  23. present — a gift
  24. suit — to fit

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