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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: mark · chest · toast · present · rest · coach · degree · scale

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. chest — of your body
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — temperature
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. present — a gift
  10. rest — a break
  11. degree — an amount
  12. rest — what's left
  13. present — the time now
  14. present — there
  15. mark — a trace
  16. scale — in music
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chest — a box
  22. scale — size or range
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. toast — bread

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