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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. field — farmland
  5. deal — to handle
  6. club — for golf
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. field — a subject
  11. rock — music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rock — a stone
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chest — a box
  16. club — a group
  17. field — for sport
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. fan — a supporter

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