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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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Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. game — wild animals
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. cap — a lid
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. field — farmland
  12. can — a tin
  13. cap — a hat
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. game — a match
  17. fine — high quality
  18. toast — bread
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fine — all right
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cap — of ice
  24. can — to be able to

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