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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 120 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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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 · board · pass · pitch · band · stand · wind · last

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. last — finally
  3. band — a music group
  4. last — to go on
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. last — final
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pass — a permit
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wind — moving air
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — completely
  17. board — to get on
  18. band — a ring
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. stand — to bear
  24. board — a committee

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