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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: pass · face · leaves · kid · pop · stand · straw · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. face — to confront
  11. pass — a permit
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. stand — to bear
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pop — soda
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. pop — music
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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