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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. board — a committee
  4. last — to go on
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. last — finally
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mark — a trace
  11. last — final
  12. board — to get on
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. field — farmland
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. fine — all right
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. fine — high quality
  24. mark — a grade

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