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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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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: rock · mate · pound · last · coach · foot · bowl · swing

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mate — a friend
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. swing — music
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. last — finally
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. last — to go on
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. swing — in golf
  14. rock — a stone
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pound — a weight
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. rock — music

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