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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 120 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: stand · lean · court · band · mark · coach · pitch · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — to bear
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. court — of a king
  10. court — for sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mark — a trace
  18. band — a ring
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. court — of law
  23. mark — a grade
  24. lean — to rest against

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