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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.

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: rash · net · board · bowl · pitch · chair · spring · coach

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. board — to get on
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitch — completely
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. net — in sport
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. spring — the season
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. rash — a series
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. rash — hasty
  20. spring — of water
  21. net — for catching
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. board — a committee

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