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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: chip · coach · bat · suit · can · game · stand · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. can — a tin
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. chip — to eat
  6. suit — clothes
  7. suit — in cards
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. bat — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. suit — to fit
  15. field — farmland
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. field — for sport
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. chip — for betting

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