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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: pound · date · board · coach · calf · season · field · pitcher

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. field — for sport
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. season — of the year
  14. board — to get on
  15. field — a subject
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. board — a committee
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. date — the fruit
  22. season — in sport
  23. pound — a weight
  24. season — to add flavour

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