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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. field — a subject
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — to handle
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. object — to protest
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. object — an aim
  13. date — the fruit
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. net — in sport
  17. object — a thing
  18. field — farmland
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. field — for sport
  22. can — to be able to
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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