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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.

Make a worksheet

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: track · fall · mine · chair · kick · date · rash · coach

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fall — to drop
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fall — to drop
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. track — a song
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rash — hasty
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fall — the season
  19. kick — in football
  20. date — the fruit
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rash — a series

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