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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: content · pitch · racket · fork · temple · spring · clip · coach

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. clip — for paper
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fork — in a road
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. content — the amount
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. content — happy
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. spring — a coil
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. spring — the season
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. fork — a garden tool

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