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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. field — for sport
  3. tear — from crying
  4. club — a group
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. field — a subject
  7. cap — of ice
  8. club — for golf
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. track — a path
  11. field — farmland
  12. cap — a hat
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. dip — to sink
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cap — a lid
  18. court — of a king
  19. track — a song
  20. club — for dancing
  21. track — to keep track
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. board — to get on
  24. tear — from crying

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