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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. kick — in football
  6. field — for sport
  7. shower — to wash
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stem — to come from
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bank — of a river
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  24. pitch — completely

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