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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: coach · fall · ball · pitch · scale · present · stand · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mug — a face
  6. present — a gift
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ball — a great time
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. present — the time now
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. present — there
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stand — to bear

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