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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitch — completely
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. field — farmland
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. deal — to handle
  10. court — for sport
  11. foot — a measure
  12. fall — to drop
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. fall — to drop
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. field — for sport
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rash — a series
  20. court — of a king
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. court — of law
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rash — hasty

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