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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: jam · stand · pitch · net · bound · object · coach · kid

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — after costs
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. object — an aim
  9. kid — to tease
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. net — for catching
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. net — in sport
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. object — to protest
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pitch — completely
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. stand — to bear
  21. kid — child
  22. object — a thing
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stand — for spectators

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