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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stand — to bear
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fine — high quality
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. march — the month
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. march — the month
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. field — a subject
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. march — music
  22. fine — all right
  23. cap — of ice
  24. game — a match

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