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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: board · ground · field · fine · rule · march · mine · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ground — the earth
  3. board — a committee
  4. field — for sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rule — government
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. board — to get on
  13. fine — high quality
  14. ground — a position
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rule — a law
  19. march — the month
  20. march — music
  21. perch — the fish
  22. fine — all right
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rule — to rule out

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