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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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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: rest · date · race · perch · bat · content · present · coach

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. present — a gift
  6. date — the fruit
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bat — the animal
  13. present — the time now
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. present — there
  16. content — the amount
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. content — happy
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rest — a break
  24. date — on the calendar

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