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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: coach · season · dip · foot · kick · pitcher · rash · wind

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. kick — in football
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — moving air
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. foot — a measure
  15. dip — to sink
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — in sport
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. kick — with a leg

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