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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — a subject
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. drill — a practice
  6. race — the arms race
  7. board — a committee
  8. field — farmland
  9. race — a contest
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mate — a friend
  15. drill — the tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mate — to breed
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. drill — army training
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. race — humankind
  23. field — for sport
  24. mate — a partner

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