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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: coach · field · bay · game · stand · file · last · nail

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. game — a match
  6. last — final
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. field — for sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. file — a line of people
  14. last — to go on
  15. file — a tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. file — a document
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. last — finally
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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