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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. board — a committee
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. sharp — clever
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bank — for money
  7. board — to get on
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. bank — of a river
  11. spring — the season
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bank — for money
  14. field — farmland
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. field — for sport
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. field — a subject
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. track — a path
  23. spring — of water
  24. kick — a thrill

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