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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: chip · present · swing · fork · fall · object · toast · saw

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. swing — music
  3. object — to protest
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. swing — in golf
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fall — the season
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chip — for betting
  15. toast — bread
  16. saw — the tool
  17. chip — to eat
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. object — an aim
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — there
  23. object — a thing
  24. fork — in a road

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