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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.

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 · pitch · racket · tube · last · mark · arm · coach

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ground — crushed
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mark — a trace
  14. tube — a container
  15. pitch — completely
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. ground — the earth
  18. last — finally
  19. ground — a position
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mark — a grade
  24. last — to go on

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