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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. board — a committee
  3. land — a country
  4. kick — in football
  5. club — for golf
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. vault — a safe
  8. field — a subject
  9. club — for dancing
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. land — to come down
  12. field — farmland
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. board — to get on
  18. land — ground
  19. field — for sport
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. club — a group
  24. kick — a thrill

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