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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: plane · bay · land · pop · bound · ball · coach · pitch

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bound — obliged
  13. pop — soda
  14. plane — a tool
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bound — certain
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pop — music
  19. land — a country
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitch — completely
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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