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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: field · coach · squash · season · game · dip · drill · perch

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. field — farmland
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. squash — the sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. dip — to sink
  13. field — for sport
  14. squash — to crush
  15. drill — army training
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. season — in sport
  18. game — wild animals
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. perch — the fish
  21. game — a match
  22. field — a subject
  23. drill — a practice
  24. perch — for a bird

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