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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.

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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 · lean · bowl · key · track · face · craft

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. craft — a skill
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. key — the most important part
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. face — to confront
  13. track — a path
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. craft — boats
  17. track — a song
  18. key — in music
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. face — part of the head
  21. track — to keep track
  22. key — for a lock
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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