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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: roll · tube · coach · chest · shower · pitch · stick · pass

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tube — a container
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. roll — a list
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. chest — a box
  16. shower — to wash
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. shower — rain
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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