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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
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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: scale · racket · stand · bear · coach · safe · rash · field

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. scale — size or range
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stand — to bear
  13. field — a subject
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. scale — in music
  20. rash — a series
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rash — on the skin

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