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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
468
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: sharp · deal · chest · drill · pass · spring · suit · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. spring — of water
  3. suit — in cards
  4. spring — a coil
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. chest — of your body
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. drill — a practice
  10. chest — a box
  11. suit — to fit
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. suit — clothes
  15. drill — army training
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. deal — to handle
  18. sharp — clever
  19. spring — the season
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. drill — the tool
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. chest — of your body

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