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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 · mate · kid · swing · pitch · staff · coach · wound

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. staff — employees
  3. mate — to breed
  4. staff — employees
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wound — an injury
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kid — child
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. object — to protest
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. object — an aim
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. staff — a stick
  19. swing — in golf
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitch — completely
  22. kid — to tease
  23. object — a thing
  24. mate — a partner

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