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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 · staff · present · temple · current · shower · ground · pitch

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. staff — employees
  3. current — electric
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. present — the time now
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — happening now
  9. present — there
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. shower — to wash
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. present — a gift
  18. current — of water
  19. shower — rain
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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