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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. field — a subject
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. board — a committee
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. lean — thin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. game — wild animals
  13. field — farmland
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. dip — to sink
  17. game — a match
  18. field — for sport
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. stand — to bear
  24. game — a kind of play

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