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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. root — of a word
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. root — the cause
  10. season — in sport
  11. swing — in golf
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. swing — music
  15. snap — to click
  16. season — of the year
  17. root — of a plant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. swing — to play on
  20. last — final
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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