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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: stand · field · rule · season · pop · coach · game · perch

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. season — of the year
  4. rule — government
  5. field — a subject
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pop — music
  16. perch — the fish
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. season — in sport
  24. rule — a law

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