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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: straw · stand · pitch · wound · coach · charge · stick · squash

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. charge — in control
  11. stand — to bear
  12. charge — electricity
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. wound — an injury
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitch — completely
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. charge — a price
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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