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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. field — for sport
  6. board — to get on
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. field — farmland
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. field — a subject
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. foot — a measure

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