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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · cell · land · plane · fan · spell · roll · toast

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. toast — bread
  3. chest — of your body
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. spell — magic
  6. land — ground
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. spell — letters
  9. roll — a cake
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. land — a country
  14. cell — a phone
  15. spell — a short time
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cell — in biology
  18. plane — a tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. land — to come down
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. fan — a supporter

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