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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: date · spring · racket · row · coach · stick · rash · march

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. march — the month
  3. spring — the season
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rash — a series
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. row — to paddle
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. march — music
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. spring — of water
  18. march — the month
  19. rash — hasty
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. date — the fruit
  22. row — a line
  23. spring — a coil
  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