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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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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 · roll · chip · chair · wind · plane · stick

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. present — a gift
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. present — the time now
  7. chair — a leader
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chip — to eat
  11. roll — a cake
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. plane — a tool
  16. present — there
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. roll — a list
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chip — for betting
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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