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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. field — for sport
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. field — farmland
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. game — a match
  11. bank — for money
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bank — for money
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. field — a subject

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