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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: hide · can · chair · rock · coach · bat · net · roll

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rock — music
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. can — a tin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. net — for catching
  14. rock — a stone
  15. chair — a leader
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. net — in sport
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. net — after costs
  23. can — a tin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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