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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · plane · mine · coach · pitch · season · squash · pit

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. plane — a tool
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. season — of the year
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. mine — for digging
  18. squash — the sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. pit — in a race
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pit — a hole
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. plane — in geometry

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