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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: toast · hide · coach · file · field · content · squash · perch

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. file — a line of people
  4. field — a subject
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. content — the amount
  8. perch — the fish
  9. field — farmland
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. squash — to crush
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. file — a document
  17. field — for sport
  18. file — a tool
  19. squash — the sport
  20. content — happy
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. perch — for a bird

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