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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. charge — a price
  4. ball — a great time
  5. face — to confront
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ball — a dance
  13. clip — a video
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. face — to point toward
  19. clip — to cut
  20. staff — a stick
  21. charge — in control
  22. face — part of the head
  23. toast — bread
  24. charge — electricity

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