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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: coach · track · bulb · field · pitch · bore · game · rule

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rule — government
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. game — a match
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bulb — for light
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. track — a path
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. track — a song
  19. rule — a law
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. field — for sport
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  24. game — wild animals

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