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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — boats
  5. key — the most important part
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mine — for digging
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — in music
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. field — for sport
  20. stand — to bear
  21. tear — from crying
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. field — farmland
  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