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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: bear · lean · rush · coach · face · bat · shower · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. face — to confront
  6. lean — thin
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. face — part of the head
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. game — wild animals
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. shower — rain
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bear — the animal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. shower — to wash
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bat — for baseball

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