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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. toast — bread
  3. mug — a face
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. fall — to drop
  8. sharp — clever
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. date — the fruit
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. tube — the underground
  16. content — the amount
  17. content — happy
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. tube — a container
  24. date — on the calendar

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