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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: rock · date · can · face · swing · hide · bat · coach

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. swing — in golf
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. can — a tin
  11. swing — music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. face — to point toward
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bat — the animal
  19. date — the fruit
  20. swing — to play on
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rock — music
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. face — to confront

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