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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
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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: march · bat · coach · nail · date · fan · bore · rush

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. march — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. march — the month
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. march — the month
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bore — to tire
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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