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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: mate · wake · chip · drill · bound · toast · present · wind

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. present — the time now
  5. mate — to breed
  6. present — a gift
  7. bound — obliged
  8. toast — bread
  9. drill — army training
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. present — there
  13. bound — certain
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bound — tied together
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mate — a partner
  22. drill — the tool
  23. wake — a trail
  24. toast — the most admired

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