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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: rash · plane · fine · march · net · straw · pitch · coach

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. net — in sport
  5. plane — a tool
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. march — the month
  13. net — after costs
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — all right
  16. rash — hasty
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. march — music
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — a series
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. march — the month

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