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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. field — a subject
  4. craft — boats
  5. shower — rain
  6. rash — a series
  7. field — for sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pound — a weight
  10. craft — a skill
  11. content — happy
  12. board — a committee
  13. content — the amount
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. rash — hasty
  20. shower — to wash
  21. board — to get on
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stand — for spectators

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