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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. field — for sport
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. board — to get on
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bear — the animal
  7. file — a document
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cue — for pool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. field — farmland
  18. lean — to bend
  19. file — a tool
  20. lean — thin
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. board — a committee
  24. field — a subject

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