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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: lean · ball · coach · last · bowl · cell · mark · toast

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. cell — a phone
  3. lean — thin
  4. last — finally
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. last — to go on
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mark — a grade
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. toast — bread
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. lean — to bend
  24. last — final

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