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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: object · coach · key · ground · bass · clip · pitch · shower

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. object — an aim
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. ground — crushed
  10. key — for a lock
  11. clip — a video
  12. ground — a position
  13. shower — to wash
  14. key — in music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. clip — for paper
  17. key — the most important part
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pitch — completely
  20. object — a thing
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. object — to protest

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