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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · stem · hand · pitch · foot · bay · mine · roll

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. roll — a list
  4. hand — in cards
  5. foot — a measure
  6. roll — a cake
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. hand — help
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pitch — completely
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. roll — on a roll

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