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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: staff · pop · bowl · toast · key · stand · sharp · face

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. toast — bread
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. staff — a stick
  11. key — the most important part
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. key — in music
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. stand — to bear
  22. key — for a lock
  23. face — part of the head
  24. sharp — clever

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