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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: rest · coach · mark · fan · game · suit · bat · net

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bat — the animal
  4. net — in sport
  5. suit — clothes
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. suit — in cards
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. game — a match
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. suit — to fit
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rest — a break
  18. rest — what's left
  19. net — after costs
  20. rest — what's left
  21. net — for catching
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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