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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: cap · foot · pitcher · coach · pitch · cold · board · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cap — a lid
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pitch — completely
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — a measure
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. cap — of ice
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spring — the season
  18. cap — a hat
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pitch — a sports field

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