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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: field · coach · last · mouse · firm · present · pop · chair

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. present — a gift
  2. last — to go on
  3. field — for sport
  4. firm — steady
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. field — a subject
  8. firm — decided
  9. pop — soda
  10. chair — a leader
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. last — finally
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. last — final
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. field — farmland
  18. firm — a company
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. present — the time now
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. pop — music
  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