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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. toast — bread
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. field — a subject
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. field — farmland
  12. bank — for money
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bank — for money
  16. bear — the animal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. perch — the fish
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bank — of a river
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. perch — for a bird

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