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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: land · suit · fall · mate · bass · coach · bat · snap

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to click
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. land — a country
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mate — a partner
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. land — to come down
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mate — to breed
  15. suit — to fit
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fall — the season
  21. bass — low music
  22. suit — clothes
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fall — to drop

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