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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: coach · race · cue · snap · bat · dip · pitcher · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. snap — to click
  9. cue — for pool
  10. race — a contest
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. race — humankind
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. cue — a signal
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cue — a hint
  20. dip — to sink
  21. date — the fruit
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. race — the arms race

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