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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. field — for sport
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — a match
  7. mark — a grade
  8. game — wild animals
  9. field — a subject
  10. perch — the fish
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. mate — a friend
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. field — farmland
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. race — a contest
  24. coach — a trainer

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