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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · cap · suit · date · bat · field · toast · stand

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bat — the animal
  4. suit — in cards
  5. field — for sport
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. field — a subject
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cap — a hat
  10. toast — bread
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. suit — clothes
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. suit — to fit
  19. stand — to bear
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. field — farmland
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cap — of ice
  24. coach — a trainer

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