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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 · spring · coach · mark · spell · file · deal · pitcher

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mark — a grade
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. file — a document
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pit — in a race
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. spell — letters
  15. mark — a trace
  16. file — a tool
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — to handle
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spring — of water
  23. pit — a hole
  24. file — a line of people

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