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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 116 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: pound · spell · mate · pit · pitcher · bark · coach · bay

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. spell — letters
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mate — a friend
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pit — in a race
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mate — to breed

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