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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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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: bowl · pit · deal · wax · field · snap · coach · kick

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — a subject
  5. deal — to handle
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pit — in a race
  15. field — for sport
  16. wax — to grow
  17. kick — in football
  18. snap — to click
  19. pit — a hole
  20. field — farmland
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bowl — a football final

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