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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: pitch · ball · hand · stand · charge · coach · drill · shower

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. hand — help
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. charge — a price
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — the tool
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. stand — to bear
  11. pitch — completely
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. ball — a dance
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. charge — in control
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. hand — in cards
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stand — on your feet

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