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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. field — a subject
  3. chest — a box
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. field — for sport
  6. bound — obliged
  7. present — a gift
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bound — certain
  14. club — a group
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. present — there
  21. board — a committee
  22. present — the time now
  23. degree — temperature
  24. field — farmland

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