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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — for sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bat — the animal
  9. scale — in music
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stand — to bear
  16. field — farmland
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fall — the season
  20. scale — size or range
  21. field — a subject
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cap — of ice
  24. safe — out of danger

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