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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: bass · bat · can · kick · fine · fall · rush · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. fine — all right
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bass — the fish
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bass — low music
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fall — the season
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. can — a tin
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. can — a tin
  22. rush — hurry
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. can — to be able to

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