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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: hand · safe · press · coach · stem · roll · pitch · court

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. press — a publisher
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. court — of law
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. press — newspapers
  15. court — of a king
  16. pitch — completely
  17. roll — a cake
  18. court — for sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. press — to push
  24. coach — a trainer

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