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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. toast — bread
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mark — a trace
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stock — shares
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stock — goods
  16. present — the time now
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to confront
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. present — there
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mark — a grade
  24. present — a gift

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