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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: coach · sharp · bowl · jam · band · rash · deal · bat

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rash — a series
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bat — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. band — a music group
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. deal — to handle

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