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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fall — the season
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. field — for sport
  10. bound — certain
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. band — a ring
  13. board — a committee
  14. band — a music group
  15. tube — a container
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. field — farmland
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. board — to get on
  24. fork — in a road

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