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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lean — to bend
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. roll — a list
  14. press — a publisher
  15. fall — the season
  16. press — to push
  17. board — to get on
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. lean — thin
  21. press — newspapers
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. roll — a cake
  24. coach — a trainer

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