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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 120 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: field · pitcher · straw · bowl · coach · land · cabinet · can

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. field — farmland
  3. can — a tin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. field — for sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. land — to come down
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — a subject
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. land — a country
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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