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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — a subject
  5. board — to get on
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kid — to tease
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bank — for money
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — for sport
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. kid — child
  15. court — of a king
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bank — for money
  18. board — a committee
  19. bank — of a river
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. field — farmland
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. court — of law

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