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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.

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: march · cue · prune · mate · bowl · bat · track · coach

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bat — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mate — to breed
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mate — a friend
  9. track — to keep track
  10. cue — a hint
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cue — a signal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. march — music
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. prune — to trim
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cue — for pool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. march — the month

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