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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kick — in football
  6. board — to get on
  7. degree — temperature
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. degree — from a university
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. board — a committee
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lie — to recline
  19. field — farmland
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. degree — an amount
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. field — a subject

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