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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. ground — crushed
  3. field — for sport
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. field — a subject
  6. shower — rain
  7. field — farmland
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ground — a position
  12. suit — clothes
  13. ground — the earth
  14. deal — to handle
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. suit — in cards
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. tube — the underground
  22. dip — to sink
  23. suit — to fit
  24. tube — a container

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