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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · toast · rash · coach · bear · swing

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rash — a series
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rash — hasty
  13. bear — the animal
  14. toast — bread
  15. bear — the animal
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — to play on
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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