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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: rush · clip · coach · stand · saw · can · pitch · drill

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — completely
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — a video
  9. rush — hurry
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. drill — the tool
  13. clip — for paper
  14. drill — army training
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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