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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: squash · date · hand · row · pass · kick · coach · club

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kick — in football
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. club — a group
  6. pass — a permit
  7. row — to paddle
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. club — for dancing
  10. squash — to crush
  11. club — for golf
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hand — in cards
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. row — a line
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. squash — the sport
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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