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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · saw · season · object · clip · pitch · fine · spell

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. spell — letters
  5. object — a thing
  6. spell — magic
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. spell — a short time
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fine — all right
  13. object — an aim
  14. clip — a video
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. object — to protest
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fine — high quality
  21. clip — for paper
  22. season — in sport
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. saw — the tool

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