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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: coach · fall · rash · press · mine · current · board · pitch

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. current — of water
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitch — completely
  13. board — to get on
  14. press — to push
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. current — electric
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rash — a series
  22. board — a committee
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. current — happening now

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