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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 116 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 · vault · ground · pitch · coach · wound · can · mine

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. vault — a safe
  7. hand — help
  8. wound — an injury
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. can — to be able to
  18. can — a tin
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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