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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
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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 · toast · season · foot · wound · last · chair · nail

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. last — final
  9. season — of the year
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. foot — a measure
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. last — finally
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. last — to go on
  23. season — in sport
  24. toast — bread

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