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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: bowl · wake · clip · stand · track · pitch · ground · coach

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. clip — a video
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. pitch — completely
  17. stand — to bear
  18. track — a song
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. clip — to cut

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