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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: season · mate · coach · leaves · last · field · bat · vault

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bat — the animal
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mate — a partner
  8. field — for sport
  9. season — in sport
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. field — farmland
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mate — a friend
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mate — to breed
  17. last — to go on
  18. season — of the year
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. last — finally
  24. field — a subject

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