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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.

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: coach · can · pop · bowl · cell · present

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. present — the time now
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. can — a tin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pop — soda
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. present — a gift
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. present — there
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — in biology

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