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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. board — a committee
  3. cell — a phone
  4. club — for dancing
  5. suit — to fit
  6. field — farmland
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. field — a subject
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. board — to get on
  13. club — a group
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. cell — in biology
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. club — for golf
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. suit — in cards
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. suit — clothes

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