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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: staff · pit · cold · kick · pitcher · band · board · coach

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. staff — employees
  5. band — a ring
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — a hole
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. board — to get on
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. kick — in football
  12. board — a committee
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. staff — employees
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pit — in a race
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cold — not warm

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