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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.

Make a worksheet

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: ground · lash · mine · pitcher · mate · coach · present · fall

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. present — a gift
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. present — there
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. present — the time now
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. ground — a position
  22. fall — to drop
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mate — a friend

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