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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: ball · leaves · chair · hand · bank · toast · saw · game

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. saw — the tool
  3. hand — in cards
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. bank — for money
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. saw — the tool
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bank — of a river
  14. game — wild animals
  15. toast — bread
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. ball — a dance
  21. chair — a leader
  22. hand — help
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bank — for money

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