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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: toast · bulb · ball · coach · content · saw · face · lean

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. toast — bread
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ball — a great time
  8. face — to confront
  9. lean — thin
  10. ball — a dance
  11. face — to point toward
  12. content — the amount
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lean — to bend
  15. face — part of the head
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. content — happy
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bulb — of a plant

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