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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.

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: shower · mark · track · wound · pitch · rock · coach · rest

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rock — music
  5. shower — rain
  6. track — a song
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rest — a break
  12. shower — to wash
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rock — a stone
  19. mark — a trace
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wound — an injury
  23. track — a path
  24. coach — a trainer

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