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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: chair · track · season · toast · chip · fall · jam · wound

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wound — an injury
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. season — in sport
  11. track — a path
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. fall — to drop
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. chip — to eat
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. season — of the year
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fall — the season

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