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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · coach · pitcher · bear · fine · hand · squash · field

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. field — farmland
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. field — a subject
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. hand — in cards
  12. sharp — clever
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. fine — high quality
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. fine — all right
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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