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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. board — a committee
  3. root — the cause
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. field — farmland
  6. band — a music group
  7. ball — a dance
  8. field — a subject
  9. firm — steady
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. firm — a company
  13. ball — a great time
  14. root — of a word
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a ring
  17. tear — to rip
  18. field — for sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. root — of a plant
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tear — from crying
  24. arm — part of the body

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