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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: fork · coach · pitch · mine · present · cap · lash · cabinet

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fork — in a road
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. present — a gift
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cap — a hat
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mine — for digging
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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