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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. staff — employees
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. staff — employees
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. field — a subject
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rash — a series
  12. clip — for paper
  13. field — for sport
  14. clip — a video
  15. track — to keep track
  16. field — farmland
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rush — hurry
  22. staff — a stick
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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