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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lie — to recline
  7. board — a committee
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. cue — a hint
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. field — for sport
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. field — a subject
  23. board — to get on
  24. cue — a signal

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