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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. field — a subject
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. board — a committee
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. current — happening now
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. game — a match
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. current — of water
  19. wind — moving air
  20. field — for sport
  21. current — electric
  22. pitch — completely
  23. field — farmland
  24. scale — in music

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