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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: content · dip · march · coach · toast · date · root · bat

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. toast — bread
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. root — the cause
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. march — music
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bat — the animal
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. march — the month
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — of a plant
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. march — the month

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