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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
468
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 · pit · wake · date · mouse · can · cell

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. can — to be able to
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bat — the animal
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pit — a hole
  12. date — the fruit
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wake — a trail
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. cell — in a prison

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