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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stock — goods
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. face — part of the head
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. face — to confront
  8. spell — magic
  9. kick — in football
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. date — the fruit
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — a measure
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. stock — shares
  24. toast — the most admired

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