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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: land · present · coach · snap · jam · bay · pitch · hand

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. present — the time now
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. hand — help
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitch — completely
  14. snap — to click
  15. land — ground
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. land — a country
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — in traffic

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