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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. race — a contest
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. field — for sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. track — a song
  9. race — the arms race
  10. capital — a city
  11. track — to keep track
  12. rock — a stone
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — money
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. field — a subject
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. track — a path
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. race — humankind

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