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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: date · toast · coach · bowl · perch · face · patient · charge

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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 — a trainer
  3. face — part of the head
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. charge — in control
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. toast — bread
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. charge — a price
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. charge — electricity
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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