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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 116 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: stock · land · coach · cap · mate · hide · swing · pitch

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mate — a partner
  3. land — to come down
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. swing — to play on
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stock — goods
  8. cap — a hat
  9. stock — shares
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. land — ground
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cap — a lid
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cap — of ice
  21. mate — to breed
  22. swing — music
  23. land — a country
  24. coach — a trainer

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