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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · date · pitcher · fine · rash · tear · coach · bowl

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. date — the fruit
  10. chair — a leader
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fine — high quality
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. tear — from crying

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