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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: lean · chest · fork · plane · content · fine · toast · rest

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fork — in a road
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rest — what's left
  15. fine — high quality
  16. content — the amount
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. chest — a box
  19. fine — all right
  20. rest — a break
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. lean — to bend
  23. content — happy
  24. lean — thin

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