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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: toast · chest · object · pass · present · mate · cell · safe

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mate — a friend
  3. cell — in biology
  4. object — a thing
  5. chest — of your body
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. present — there
  11. chest — a box
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. toast — bread
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pass — a permit
  16. mate — to breed
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mate — a partner
  19. object — an aim
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. chest — of your body
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. object — to protest

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