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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
468
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: present · toast · coach · lie · clip · row · plane · sharp

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. present — a gift
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. clip — a video
  5. row — a line
  6. sharp — clever
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. clip — to cut
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. row — to paddle
  12. present — there
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. present — the time now
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. plane — a tool
  22. toast — bread
  23. clip — for paper
  24. plane — in geometry

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