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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: coach · stand · pound · clip · charge · net · pitch · mine

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mine — for digging
  5. charge — a price
  6. net — after costs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. net — for catching
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. clip — a video
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. charge — in control
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. charge — electricity
  20. clip — for paper
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. net — in sport

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