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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 116 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. field — for sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. capital — money
  5. suit — in cards
  6. net — for catching
  7. land — to come down
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. suit — to fit
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. net — after costs
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. net — in sport
  18. pitch — completely
  19. capital — a city
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — farmland
  24. suit — clothes

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