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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: suit · toast · kid · coach · ground · field · wake · spell

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. suit — to fit
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. suit — in cards
  8. toast — bread
  9. kid — child
  10. suit — clothes
  11. spell — letters
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. field — farmland
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. spell — a short time
  17. kid — to tease
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. field — a subject
  20. ground — crushed
  21. spell — magic
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. field — for sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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