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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · ruler · staff · board · net · hide

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. staff — employees
  6. net — after costs
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. staff — a stick
  13. field — a subject
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. field — for sport
  18. staff — employees

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