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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. scale — size or range
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — farmland
  7. swing — in golf
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. swing — music
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. scale — in music
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. swing — to play on
  19. board — to get on
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. wake — a trail

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