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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · racket · tear · saw · ball · board · coach · pit

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pit — in a race
  8. field — farmland
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — for sport
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. field — a subject
  16. ball — a dance
  17. tear — to rip
  18. ball — a great time
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. saw — the tool
  23. board — to get on
  24. pit — a hole

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