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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mug — a cup
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. charge — in control
  6. face — part of the head
  7. charge — a price
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. snap — to click
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. face — to confront
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. mug — a face
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mug — to rob
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. charge — electricity
  21. toast — bread
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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