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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: press · toast · last · coach · wave · roll · cabinet · content

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. press — a publisher
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. roll — a cake
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. last — finally
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. press — newspapers
  11. content — the amount
  12. toast — bread
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. last — final
  16. press — to push
  17. last — to go on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. content — happy

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