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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.

Make a worksheet

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

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. field — farmland
  7. pass — a permit
  8. kid — child
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. kid — to tease
  11. season — of the year
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. field — for sport
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. field — a subject
  17. season — in sport
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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