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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. 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. staff — a stick
  2. court — for sport
  3. swing — to play on
  4. field — a subject
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. race — a contest
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. staff — employees
  10. field — farmland
  11. race — the arms race
  12. swing — in golf
  13. board — to get on
  14. court — of law
  15. race — humankind
  16. board — a committee
  17. club — for golf
  18. court — of a king
  19. swing — music
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. field — for sport
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. 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