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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. field — farmland
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. spring — the season
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pop — music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pop — soda
  11. field — for sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. pass — a permit
  20. spring — of water
  21. pop — to visit
  22. spring — a coil
  23. field — a subject
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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