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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: chair · rest · file · toast · bat · deal · key · stand

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chair — a leader
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rest — what's left
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. key — in music
  11. deal — to handle
  12. rest — a break
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. key — the most important part
  16. toast — bread
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. toast — the most admired

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