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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: coach · bat · perch · wave · kick · land · kid · mate

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — to come down
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. kid — to tease
  11. land — a country
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mate — to breed
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — in football
  18. land — ground
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kid — child
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bat — the animal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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