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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bank — of a river
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. field — farmland
  8. bank — for money
  9. bound — tied together
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bound — obliged
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bound — certain
  15. board — a committee
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. board — to get on
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — for sport
  21. snap — to click
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lie — an untruth

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