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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: leaves · coach · can · lie · rash · field · charge · pitch

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. pitch — completely
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. charge — electricity
  13. field — a subject
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. field — farmland
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. can — a tin
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. rash — a series
  21. field — for sport
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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