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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. can — a tin
  3. season — of the year
  4. game — a match
  5. can — a tin
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. field — farmland
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bulb — for light
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. season — in sport
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. can — to be able to
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bowl — to roll

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