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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: rash · coach · date · mine · bowl · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rash — a series
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. date — the fruit
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. season — in sport
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. season — of the year
  18. date — on the calendar

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