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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. present — there
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. last — finally
  6. staff — employees
  7. content — the amount
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. saw — the tool
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. present — a gift
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. toast — bread
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — the time now
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. squash — the sport
  22. content — happy
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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