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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: coach · straw · court · fine · lie · toast · cold · face

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. toast — bread
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fine — high quality
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. court — for sport
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. face — to confront
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. lie — to recline
  17. court — of law
  18. cold — an illness
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. face — to point toward
  22. court — of a king
  23. fine — all right
  24. straw — dry grass

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