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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: pit · coach · wind · hide · mate · stand · rash · fine

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. fine — all right
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — hasty
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stand — to bear
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. pit — in a race
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fine — high quality

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