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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. game — a match
  3. field — farmland
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. capital — a city
  6. bass — low music
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. board — to get on
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stand — to bear
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. capital — money
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — a committee
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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