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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: coach · track · swing · tube · fork · toast · arm · face

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. track — a path
  6. face — to confront
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. track — a song
  11. swing — to play on
  12. fork — in a road
  13. swing — in golf
  14. track — to keep track
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. tube — the underground
  18. face — to point toward
  19. tube — a container
  20. toast — bread
  21. face — part of the head
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. swing — music

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