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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.

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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: coach · bat · shower · pitch · pop · mark · drill · staff

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pop — music
  3. drill — army training
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. staff — a stick
  9. pitch — completely
  10. staff — employees
  11. shower — rain
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mark — a grade
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pop — soda
  23. bat — the animal
  24. staff — employees

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