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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 · degree · rush · mug · bat · leaves · pit · swing

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. swing — music
  5. pit — a hole
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. degree — from a university
  9. swing — in golf
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. degree — an amount
  12. mug — a face
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mug — to rob
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rush — hurry
  23. pit — in a race
  24. degree — temperature

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