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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. charge — a price
  3. board — a committee
  4. field — a subject
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — to get on
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. field — for sport
  9. charge — electricity
  10. charge — in control
  11. fork — in a road
  12. tube — a container
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. ground — the earth
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. ground — crushed
  19. spring — a coil
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. field — farmland
  24. ground — a position

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