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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
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: toast · cabinet · content · coach · kick · face · leaves · hand

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. content — the amount
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. face — to point toward
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. kick — in football
  10. hand — help
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. face — to confront
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. content — happy
  24. content — videos and posts

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