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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: coach · cabinet · mine · row · net · pitch · squash · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. row — to paddle
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — for digging
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. net — for catching
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. net — in sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pitch — completely
  18. row — a line
  19. squash — the sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mine — belonging to me

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