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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: deal · chest · drill · chair · toast · bear · mate · temple

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. toast — bread
  4. mate — a friend
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mate — a partner
  11. chest — of your body
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. chest — a box
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — a practice

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