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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
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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: rush · suit · field · fan · coach · tear · net · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. suit — in cards
  5. field — a subject
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — after costs
  10. field — for sport
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. net — for catching
  14. suit — clothes
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. suit — to fit
  17. field — farmland
  18. rush — hurry
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. net — in sport
  24. tear — to rip

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