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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. drill — the tool
  3. board — to get on
  4. court — of a king
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. board — a committee
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — army training
  10. march — the month
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. march — music
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. march — the month
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tube — a container
  19. court — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — a subject
  23. court — of law
  24. tube — the underground

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