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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: sharp · stick · land · chest · staff · toast · mine · kick

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. toast — bread
  5. mine — for digging
  6. staff — a stick
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. chest — of your body
  9. sharp — clever
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. chest — a box
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. chest — of your body
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. staff — employees
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kick — in football
  22. land — a country
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. staff — employees

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