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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 116 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. court — for sport
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mark — a grade
  10. mark — a trace
  11. court — of a king
  12. board — a committee
  13. field — a subject
  14. content — happy
  15. tube — the underground
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tube — a container
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. content — the amount
  20. field — farmland
  21. mine — for digging
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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