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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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 flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. staff — a stick
  4. toast — bread
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. date — the fruit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. staff — employees
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. track — a path
  12. field — for sport
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. track — to keep track
  19. board — to get on
  20. staff — employees
  21. bat — the animal
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bat — for baseball
  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