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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: net · drill · toast · mine · coach · pitch · wound · cap

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. toast — bread
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cap — a hat
  7. pitch — completely
  8. net — after costs
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wound — an injury
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. net — in sport
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. drill — army training
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wound — an injury
  21. net — for catching
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. cap — of ice

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