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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: last · mouse · bay · wax · nail · swing · toast · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — final
  10. last — finally
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. swing — in golf
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wax — to grow
  22. swing — to play on
  23. toast — bread
  24. swing — music

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