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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. spring — the season
  3. scale — in music
  4. charge — in control
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. field — a subject
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. charge — electricity
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. field — farmland
  12. land — ground
  13. foot — a measure
  14. spring — of water
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. board — to get on
  17. scale — size or range
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — a country
  20. charge — a price
  21. field — for sport
  22. spring — a coil
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mouse — the animal

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