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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. field — farmland
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pop — music
  7. field — a subject
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lean — thin
  11. board — a committee
  12. pop — to visit
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. charge — electricity
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. charge — in control
  17. board — to get on
  18. field — for sport
  19. charge — a price
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pop — soda
  22. lean — to bend
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pit — in a race

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