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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · season · racket · fork · sharp · bark · kid · coach

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. field — for sport
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bark — to shout
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. season — in sport
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. field — a subject
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. field — farmland
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. fork — in a road
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. fork — a garden tool

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