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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: row · coach · pop · march · kid · bowl · chip · lean

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. march — music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. lean — to bend
  9. march — the month
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pop — music
  12. kid — to tease
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — for betting
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. row — a line
  19. lean — thin
  20. pop — to visit
  21. kid — child
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — soda
  24. chip — in a computer

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