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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: pitcher · chest · drill · tube · net · lash · coach · pass

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. tube — a container
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. net — after costs
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. net — for catching
  12. drill — a practice
  13. chest — a box
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. drill — army training
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. drill — the tool
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pass — a permit

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