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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. swing — in golf
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — in cards
  6. field — a subject
  7. board — a committee
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. field — for sport
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. prune — to trim
  12. track — a song
  13. prune — to trim
  14. suit — to fit
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cold — an illness
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. field — farmland
  19. track — a path
  20. swing — to play on
  21. stand — to bear
  22. cold — not warm
  23. track — to keep track
  24. swing — music

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