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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: hand · cap · bat · stock · coach · bear · date · bass

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bear — the animal
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cap — a hat
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bass — low music
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stock — shares
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hand — in cards
  21. stock — goods
  22. date — the fruit
  23. hand — help
  24. cap — of ice

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