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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. field — a subject
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. season — of the year
  8. key — the most important part
  9. season — in sport
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. game — wild animals
  14. field — farmland
  15. game — a match
  16. board — to get on
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. board — a committee
  20. staff — employees
  21. field — for sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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