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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
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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 · field · bowl · cabinet · patient · content · bat · cap

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — for sport
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. field — farmland
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. field — a subject
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cap — a hat
  18. content — happy
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. content — the amount
  24. cap — of ice

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