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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.

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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: club · rule · pitch · bulb · kid · field · bank · coach

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bank — for money
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. kid — child
  11. field — farmland
  12. rule — a law
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. field — a subject
  17. bank — for money
  18. rule — government
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. club — a group
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. club — for dancing
  23. kid — to tease
  24. field — for sport

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