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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. field — a subject
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. field — for sport
  5. pitch — completely
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. last — finally
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. field — farmland
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bulb — for light
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. last — to go on
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. last — final
  22. saw — the tool
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. saw — the tool

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