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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: rush · toast · jam · rest · coach · face · pop · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. face — to confront
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. kid — to tease
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rush — hurry
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. toast — bread
  14. face — to point toward
  15. rest — a break
  16. pop — soda
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. pop — music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rest — what's left

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