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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. perch — the fish
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pitch — completely
  19. craft — boats
  20. field — farmland
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. sharp — clever
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bank — for money

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