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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.

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: shower · coach · field · bear · kick · mate · squash · march

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. shower — to wash
  3. squash — the sport
  4. march — the month
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. mate — a partner
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. squash — to crush
  9. field — for sport
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mate — to breed
  12. shower — rain
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mate — a friend
  18. field — farmland
  19. march — the month
  20. field — a subject
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. march — music

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