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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. net — in sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bore — to tire
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. net — after costs
  13. field — farmland
  14. march — music
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. march — the month
  17. field — for sport
  18. board — a committee
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. net — for catching
  21. march — the month
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. bore — to drill

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