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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: press · bat · shower · racket · content · hide · coach · toast

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. press — a publisher
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. press — to push
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. toast — bread
  15. shower — to wash
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. content — the amount
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. shower — rain
  20. content — happy
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bat — in an idiom

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