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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: date · bat · kick · nail · squash · coach · roll · toast

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. squash — to crush
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. kick — in football
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. roll — a cake
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. toast — bread
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. roll — a list
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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