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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ball — a great time
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mark — a grade
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a dance
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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