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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: bat · stand · pitcher · mate · deal · coach · pop · perch

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mate — a friend
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stand — to bear
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pop — music
  17. mate — to breed
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — in an idiom

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