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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. field — farmland
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cue — a signal
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. field — a subject
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. club — for golf
  18. stand — to bear
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. straw — dry grass

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