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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: bound · pit · pitcher · snap · coach · stand

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — certain
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bound — tied together
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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