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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. season — in sport
  3. fine — high quality
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bound — tied together
  7. field — a subject
  8. race — the arms race
  9. field — for sport
  10. board — a committee
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. clip — for paper
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bound — certain
  18. race — humankind
  19. season — of the year
  20. fine — all right
  21. bound — obliged
  22. field — farmland
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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