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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. present — a gift
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — to bend
  8. toast — bread
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. present — the time now
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lean — thin
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. present — there
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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