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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. field — for sport
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cap — a lid
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mate — to breed
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mate — a friend
  14. field — a subject
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cap — a hat
  17. mate — a partner
  18. chair — a leader
  19. content — happy
  20. content — the amount
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. rash — hasty
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. rash — a series

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