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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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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: season · track · pitch · coach · clip · safe · deal · field

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. clip — to cut
  4. field — for sport
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. season — in sport
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. field — farmland
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. clip — a video
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. field — a subject
  19. track — a path
  20. season — of the year
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. track — a song
  23. deal — to handle
  24. clip — for paper

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