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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 · hand · file · deal · toast · stem · last · club

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. file — a line of people
  3. hand — in cards
  4. club — for golf
  5. last — to go on
  6. club — a group
  7. file — a tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. last — finally
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. club — for dancing
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. file — a document
  16. deal — to handle
  17. chair — a leader
  18. last — final
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. hand — help
  21. toast — bread
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. chair — to sit on

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