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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bank — for money
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bank — for money
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kid — child
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bat — the animal
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bank — of a river
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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