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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: tube · chair · safe · fall · march · cue · tear · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — the month
  9. fall — to drop
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. march — the month
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. tube — a container
  14. cue — for pool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. tear — to rip
  18. chair — a leader
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cue — a signal
  21. fall — the season
  22. march — music
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. chair — to sit on

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