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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.

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: fine · coach · pitcher · bat · leaves · current · bowl · mine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. current — happening now
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bat — the animal
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. current — electric
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fine — high quality
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. current — of water
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fine — all right

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