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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — for sport
  4. mate — to breed
  5. field — a subject
  6. suit — to fit
  7. field — farmland
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. game — a match
  10. suit — in cards
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mate — a friend
  13. suit — clothes
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. mate — a partner
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. march — the month
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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