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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. saw — the tool
  3. board — a committee
  4. field — farmland
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lean — thin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. field — for sport
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. game — wild animals
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. board — to get on
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bat — the animal
  22. game — a match
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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