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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stem — to come from
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — farmland
  5. rest — what's left
  6. track — a song
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. field — for sport
  9. track — a path
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bass — low music
  17. field — a subject
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. rest — what's left
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stem — a stem cell

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