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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: vault · ground · leaves · stand · pitch · bowl · coach · scale

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. scale — size or range
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. scale — in music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. stand — to bear
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ground — crushed

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