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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — for sport
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. object — a thing
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bat — the animal
  11. object — to protest
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — a committee
  15. clip — a video
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. object — an aim

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