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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. charge — a price
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mate — a friend
  5. charge — in control
  6. mug — a face
  7. field — for sport
  8. mate — to breed
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. charge — electricity
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitch — completely
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mug — to rob
  19. field — farmland
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. mate — a partner

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