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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: game · spring · rule · rock · coach · ball · pitch · pit

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. rock — music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rule — government
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rule — a law
  10. spring — the season
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — completely
  21. game — a match
  22. ball — a great time
  23. game — a kind of play
  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