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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: plane · bay · fall · bat · toast · fan · rest · chest

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fall — the season
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rest — a break
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fall — to drop
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. chest — a box
  23. toast — bread
  24. rest — what's left

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