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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. track — a path
  3. field — farmland
  4. march — music
  5. field — for sport
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. march — the month
  8. rock — a stone
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. march — the month
  15. wound — an injury
  16. track — to keep track
  17. board — to get on
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — a subject
  21. rock — music
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. track — a song

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