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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bat · coach · season · game · spell · fine · bore · field

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. season — in sport
  5. fine — all right
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. field — for sport
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. season — of the year
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fine — high quality
  13. spell — magic
  14. bore — to tire
  15. game — a match
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. spell — letters
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. field — a subject
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. field — farmland
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bat — the animal

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