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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
468
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: track · content · coach · degree · field · capital · bear · kick

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. capital — a city
  5. bear — the animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bear — the animal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. content — happy
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. field — a subject
  12. content — the amount
  13. field — farmland
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. degree — from a university
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. track — to keep track
  20. degree — an amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. field — for sport
  23. kick — in football
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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