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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: net · present · coach · bay · season · march · board · field

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. season — in sport
  3. net — in sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. field — for sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. present — a gift
  12. field — a subject
  13. net — for catching
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. march — music
  16. present — there
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. net — after costs
  20. present — the time now
  21. season — of the year
  22. field — farmland
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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