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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: can · ruler · present · season · last · bat · pass · coach

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. can — to be able to
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. can — a tin
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. last — finally
  9. pass — a permit
  10. season — of the year
  11. can — a tin
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. season — in sport
  15. present — the time now
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. last — to go on
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. present — a gift
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. present — there
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. coach — a trainer

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