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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.

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: pitch · stem · coach · march · hand · mark · nail · kid

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. kid — child
  12. march — the month
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. march — music
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. march — the month
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stem — to come from

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