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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hide · press · date · roll · toast · wound · ground · coach

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wound — an injury
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. wound — an injury
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. roll — a cake
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. press — to push
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ground — a position
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. press — newspapers
  20. ground — crushed
  21. roll — a list
  22. press — a publisher
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. ground — the earth

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