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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: chest · toast · saw · rule · staff · stem · mate · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mate — a friend
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. saw — the tool
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. saw — the tool
  17. staff — a stick
  18. toast — bread
  19. chest — of your body
  20. mate — to breed
  21. staff — employees
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — a law
  24. staff — employees

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