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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 116 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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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: present · rest · coach · band · field · game · pound · kick

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. game — wild animals
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. present — the time now
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. present — there
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pound — a weight
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. present — a gift
  14. field — for sport
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rest — a break
  19. rest — what's left
  20. band — a music group
  21. field — farmland
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. coach — a trainer

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