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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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Word bank
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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — bread
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. present — there
  6. chest — a box
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. chest — of your body
  9. present — a gift
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. key — the most important part
  12. face — part of the head
  13. key — in music
  14. kid — child
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kid — to tease
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. present — the time now
  23. key — for a lock
  24. coach — a trainer

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