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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: coach · march · wave · kid · toast · chest · file · track

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. chest — a box
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a document
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. track — a path
  8. toast — bread
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. chest — of your body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. march — music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. march — the month
  16. kid — to tease
  17. track — to keep track
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. march — the month
  22. file — a tool
  23. track — a song
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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