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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — the time now
  3. chest — a box
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. suit — clothes
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mate — to breed
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mate — a partner
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. field — farmland
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. present — there
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. chest — of your body
  21. field — for sport
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. mine — for digging
  24. field — a subject

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