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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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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. board — to get on
  3. field — for sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. field — a subject
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. land — a country
  9. spell — a short time
  10. roll — a cake
  11. spell — magic
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wind — moving air
  15. field — farmland
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spell — letters
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. land — to come down
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. board — a committee
  23. mark — a grade
  24. land — ground

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