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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: bay · fine · mark · board · spring · toast · chair · squash

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. fine — high quality
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. spring — the season
  9. board — a committee
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. mark — a trace
  14. chair — a leader
  15. board — to get on
  16. spring — of water
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. mark — a grade
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. squash — to crush
  24. spring — a coil

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