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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: can · toast · patient · coach · ball · last · content · bat

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. can — to be able to
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. ball — a dance
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. can — a tin
  10. content — happy
  11. last — finally
  12. last — final
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ball — a great time
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. toast — bread
  20. content — the amount
  21. can — a tin
  22. last — to go on
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. toast — the most admired

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