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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 · row · toast · kick · content · swing · bowl · rush

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. content — happy
  4. swing — to play on
  5. content — the amount
  6. swing — music
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. swing — in golf
  11. rush — hurry
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. kick — in football
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. row — a line
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. toast — bread
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. bowl — a football final

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