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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: bear · coach · mate · pitch · roll · press · stand · jam

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mate — a friend
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. press — a publisher
  9. roll — a list
  10. mate — a partner
  11. press — to push
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bear — the animal
  23. roll — a cake
  24. mate — to breed

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