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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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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: tear · pop · game · rule · field · coach · sharp · bear

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pop — soda
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rule — government
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. field — farmland
  13. rule — a law
  14. pop — music
  15. field — for sport
  16. game — a match
  17. field — a subject
  18. bear — the animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. tear — from crying
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. pop — to visit

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