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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 116 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
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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 · pop · fall · pitcher · mouse · ground · net · staff

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. staff — employees
  5. ground — a position
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — music
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. net — in sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. net — after costs
  19. ground — crushed
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. staff — a stick
  22. pop — to visit
  23. fall — the season
  24. net — for catching

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