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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
468
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 · chest · fine · cabinet · coach · ball · shower · foot

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. shower — rain
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ball — a dance
  7. shower — to wash
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. fine — high quality
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. chest — a box
  18. fine — all right
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. ball — a great time
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. foot — a measure

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