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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · spell · toast · clip · march · last · fine · lash

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. march — music
  5. clip — a video
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. last — final
  8. fine — all right
  9. spell — letters
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. last — finally
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. last — to go on
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. spell — magic
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fine — high quality
  21. march — the month
  22. clip — for paper
  23. march — the month
  24. lash — to lash out

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