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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: lie · mate · pass · saw · toast · chair · hide · hand

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. mate — a friend
  3. saw — the tool
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chair — a leader
  12. hand — in cards
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. mate — a partner
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mate — to breed
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. hand — help

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