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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. field — farmland
  4. charge — a price
  5. board — a committee
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pit — a hole
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. charge — electricity
  14. chair — a leader
  15. field — a subject
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cell — in biology
  21. charge — in control
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. field — for sport

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