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

Word bank: drill · face · toast · current · swing · root · chest · coach

  1. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. root — of a word
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. root — the cause
  6. chest — a box
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — of water
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. drill — a practice
  12. face — part of the head
  13. toast — bread
  14. root — of a plant
  15. drill — the tool
  16. swing — music
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. chest — of your body
  19. current — happening now
  20. face — to confront
  21. swing — in golf
  22. drill — army training
  23. swing — to play on
  24. face — to point toward

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