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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: land · fine · coach · present · spring · march · bowl · foot

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fine — all right
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. land — to come down
  7. present — a gift
  8. foot — a measure
  9. present — the time now
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. land — ground
  12. spring — the season
  13. land — a country
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. spring — of water
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. march — music
  21. spring — a coil
  22. fine — high quality
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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