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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. scale — in music
  4. field — a subject
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. scale — size or range
  7. row — a line
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. branch — a division
  11. charge — electricity
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. board — a committee
  15. mine — for digging
  16. board — to get on
  17. row — to paddle
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. field — farmland
  24. row — a quarrel

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