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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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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: stand · pound · land · pitch · snap · coach · mark · present

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. land — ground
  3. mark — a trace
  4. present — the time now
  5. land — a country
  6. present — a gift
  7. pound — a weight
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. land — to come down
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. present — there
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. mark — a grade

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