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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bass — low music
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. cap — a hat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rest — what's left
  9. field — farmland
  10. rest — a break
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. board — a committee
  14. cap — of ice
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. board — to get on
  17. cap — a lid
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. field — a subject
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. chip — in a computer

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