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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chest — of your body
  3. field — for sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. field — a subject
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. ball — a great time
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. chest — a box
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. game — a match
  13. club — for dancing
  14. field — farmland
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bear — the animal
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for golf
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stem — to come from
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ball — a dance

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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