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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 116 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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. field — a subject
  3. mug — to rob
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mug — a cup
  6. field — for sport
  7. race — a contest
  8. field — farmland
  9. board — a committee
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bound — tied together
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pitch — completely
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. race — humankind
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mug — a face
  21. bound — certain
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pitch — a sports field

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