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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: coach · fall · file · mate · mug · field · pit · ground

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. file — a tool
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ground — crushed
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pit — in a race
  9. mate — to breed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fall — to drop
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mug — a face
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. field — farmland
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mug — to rob
  22. file — a document
  23. fall — to drop
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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