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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 · dip · chest · deal · present · toast · face · clip

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pass — a permit
  3. face — to point toward
  4. toast — bread
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. present — the time now
  7. chest — of your body
  8. face — part of the head
  9. clip — a video
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. deal — to handle
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. chest — a box
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. clip — to cut
  20. face — to confront
  21. dip — to sink
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. present — a gift
  24. deal — an agreement

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