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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rest — what's left
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. field — farmland
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. club — for golf
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. club — for dancing
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rest — a break
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. field — a subject
  17. dip — to sink
  18. club — a group
  19. board — to get on
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. root — of a plant
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. field — for sport

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