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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: pitch · squash · spring · coach · fall · swing · wake · game

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. swing — in golf
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spring — of water
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fall — to drop
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spring — the season
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. wake — a trail
  20. squash — the sport
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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