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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: season · coach · kick · bowl · suit · pitch · ground · stand

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — of the year
  4. ground — a position
  5. stand — to bear
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. suit — in cards
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. suit — to fit
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ground — crushed
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. season — in sport
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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