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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 120 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. field — for sport
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. field — farmland
  5. net — after costs
  6. land — ground
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. board — a committee
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. rush — hurry
  13. land — a country
  14. lie — to recline
  15. land — to come down
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. net — in sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. plane — a tool
  21. board — to get on
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. net — for catching

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