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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: court · field · season · last · spell · toast · ruler · coach

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. spell — magic
  7. last — final
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. field — farmland
  10. toast — bread
  11. field — for sport
  12. spell — letters
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. court — of law
  20. spell — a short time
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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