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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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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: band · stick · present · bowl · chest · toast · jam · saw

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. present — the time now
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. saw — the tool
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. present — there
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. present — a gift
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a ring
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. band — a music group
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chest — a box
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chest — of your body
  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