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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: mark · rock · racket · hand · staff · pitch · mine · coach

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. hand — help
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. hand — in cards
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mine — for digging
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. racket — for tennis

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