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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. hand — help
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. field — farmland
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. suit — clothes
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spell — letters
  18. field — for sport
  19. spell — magic
  20. suit — to fit
  21. field — a subject
  22. spell — a short time
  23. suit — in cards
  24. bat — the animal

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