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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 · arm · date · dip · bat · pop · drill · cabinet

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. dip — to sink
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. pop — music
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pop — soda
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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