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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: toast · key · spell · chair · mug · tube · stock · face

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. chair — a leader
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. key — for a lock
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mug — to rob
  7. spell — magic
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mug — a face
  10. toast — bread
  11. tube — a container
  12. stock — shares
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. mug — a cup
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. tube — the underground
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. spell — letters
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. stock — goods
  22. spell — a short time
  23. key — in music
  24. chair — a professorship

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