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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: chest · toast · foot · fall · cue · rest · stand · fan

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cue — a hint
  8. rest — what's left
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. toast — bread
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rest — a break
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chest — a box
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cue — for pool
  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