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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: coach · cabinet · bowl · foot · mark · date · bat · season

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mark — a trace
  4. date — the fruit
  5. season — in sport
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. season — of the year
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. foot — a measure
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. season — to add flavour

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