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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: key · object · wound · field · straw · coach · pitcher · last

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. field — a subject
  5. key — in music
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. key — the most important part
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. object — a thing
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. key — for a lock
  18. object — to protest
  19. field — farmland
  20. wound — an injury
  21. last — final
  22. last — finally
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. object — an aim

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