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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: bat · coach · leaves · swing · foot · face · arm · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. foot — a measure
  6. face — part of the head
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. swing — to play on
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. swing — music
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bat — the animal
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. face — to confront
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. swing — in golf
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. leaves — of a tree

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