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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: bowl · cold · key · charge · patient · prune · pitch · coach

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. charge — a price
  5. pitch — completely
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cold — not warm
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. key — the most important part
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. charge — in control
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. prune — to trim

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