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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: lash · charge · toast · coach · sharp · degree · spell · content

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. charge — a price
  5. spell — letters
  6. degree — an amount
  7. spell — a short time
  8. toast — bread
  9. content — happy
  10. degree — from a university
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. degree — temperature
  13. content — the amount
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. charge — electricity
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spell — magic
  24. charge — in control

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