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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.

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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: clip · coach · pitch · jam · season · bore · leaves · club

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. club — for dancing
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bore — to drill
  9. club — for golf
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pitch — completely
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. clip — a video
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. club — a group
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bore — to tire
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. season — of the year

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