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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 120 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: fall · squash · coach · swing · staff · bat · row · mate

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. staff — employees
  5. mate — a friend
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. squash — to crush
  9. staff — a stick
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. row — a line
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mate — to breed
  15. fall — to drop
  16. swing — to play on
  17. squash — the sport
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. fall — to drop
  20. row — to paddle
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fall — the season

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