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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: ball · toast · present · spring · tear · coach · pitch · foot

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. toast — bread
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. foot — a measure
  5. ball — a great time
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. spring — the season
  13. present — the time now
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. present — a gift
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. spring — of water
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — a coil
  20. present — there
  21. tear — to rip
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. ball — a round shape

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