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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.

Make a worksheet

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: toast · chest · hide · chair · date · current · file · key

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. file — a document
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. key — in music
  5. file — a tool
  6. date — the fruit
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. toast — bread
  11. key — the most important part
  12. current — electric
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. chest — a box
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. file — a line of people
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. key — for a lock
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. current — happening now
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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