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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: present · scale · foot · last · coach · rock · row · date

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. last — final
  3. scale — in music
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. row — a line
  6. last — to go on
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. foot — a measure
  11. date — the fruit
  12. present — the time now
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. last — finally
  15. scale — size or range
  16. present — there
  17. rock — a stone
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. present — a gift
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rock — music
  24. row — to paddle

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