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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: row · net · coach · cabinet · nail · wake · mate · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. net — after costs
  4. row — a line
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. net — in sport
  9. mate — to breed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — for catching
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mate — a partner
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wake — a trail
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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