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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 · chest · bark · kick · game · safe · field · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — farmland
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. field — for sport
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bark — to shout
  9. field — a subject
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. game — a match
  13. last — finally
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. last — final
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kick — in football
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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