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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. current — of water
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — to get on
  8. spell — letters
  9. mate — to breed
  10. current — electric
  11. spell — a short time
  12. mate — a partner
  13. band — a ring
  14. current — happening now
  15. field — a subject
  16. band — a music group
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spell — magic
  19. board — a committee
  20. bound — certain
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. fork — in a road
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fork — a garden tool

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