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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. field — a subject
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. board — a committee
  5. mate — a partner
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — a friend
  10. field — for sport
  11. scale — in music
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. scale — size or range
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. roll — a list
  18. field — farmland
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — to get on
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. bound — tied together

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