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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: drill · tear · dip · charge · spring · game · pitch · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. spring — of water
  6. drill — army training
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. game — wild animals
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spring — a coil
  11. tear — to rip
  12. drill — the tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. drill — a practice
  15. spring — the season
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. charge — a price
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — completely
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. dip — to sink
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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