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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. field — farmland
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. object — to protest
  5. swing — in golf
  6. field — a subject
  7. root — the cause
  8. swing — music
  9. object — a thing
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. scale — size or range
  12. field — for sport
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. squash — the sport
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. swing — to play on
  17. squash — to crush
  18. board — to get on
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. root — of a plant
  21. object — an aim
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. scale — in music
  24. root — of a word

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