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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. field — farmland
  4. game — wild animals
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fork — in a road
  7. board — to get on
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. field — for sport
  10. suit — in cards
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. race — the arms race
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. race — a contest
  15. game — a match
  16. suit — to fit
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. suit — clothes
  19. saw — the tool
  20. field — a subject
  21. saw — the tool
  22. race — humankind
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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