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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ground — crushed
  3. field — a subject
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — the earth
  6. spring — a coil
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. board — to get on
  9. spring — the season
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. field — farmland
  12. face — to confront
  13. staff — a stick
  14. staff — employees
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. spring — of water
  18. track — a path
  19. board — a committee
  20. track — a song
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. staff — employees
  24. track — to keep track

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