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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. track — to keep track
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. staff — employees
  9. scale — in music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. field — farmland
  12. track — a path
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. staff — a stick
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. track — a song
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. board — to get on
  20. staff — employees
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. scale — size or range

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