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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: pitcher · land · rock · coach · clip · face · board · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. board — a committee
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. toast — bread
  7. face — to point toward
  8. land — to come down
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. clip — to cut
  11. land — a country
  12. clip — a video
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. land — ground
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. face — part of the head
  18. clip — for paper
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — to confront
  22. board — to get on
  23. rock — music
  24. board — a flat piece

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