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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 · bore · cabinet · season · pitch · land · date

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. land — a country
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitch — completely
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. fall — the season
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. season — in sport
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. bore — to tire
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bore — to drill
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fall — to drop
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. season — of the year
  24. pitch — a sports field

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