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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. field — farmland
  3. face — to confront
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. court — for sport
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. court — of law
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. field — a subject
  11. bank — for money
  12. squash — the sport
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. court — of a king
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. field — for sport
  21. squash — to crush
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bank — of a river
  24. coach — a trainer

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