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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 · bay · fan · file · key · fall · net · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. file — a line of people
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. net — in sport
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chair — a leader
  10. key — in music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. net — for catching
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. key — the most important part
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. net — after costs
  18. file — a tool
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fall — to drop
  21. key — for a lock
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. fall — the season
  24. file — a document

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