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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. board — a committee
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. hand — in cards
  5. present — there
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. dip — to sink
  10. hand — help
  11. field — for sport
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. present — a gift
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. present — the time now
  21. field — a subject
  22. snap — to click
  23. board — to get on
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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