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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. board — to get on
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. field — farmland
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. row — to paddle
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. present — a gift
  10. rule — government
  11. game — a match
  12. field — a subject
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. present — the time now
  15. game — wild animals
  16. row — a line
  17. field — for sport
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rule — a law
  20. board — a committee
  21. cell — in biology
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cell — a phone
  24. present — there

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