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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: ball · game · field · bank · fall · board · kid · cap

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. field — a subject
  5. bank — for money
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — farmland
  8. game — a match
  9. fall — the season
  10. bank — of a river
  11. fall — to drop
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. cap — a hat
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. field — for sport
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cap — of ice
  20. kid — child
  21. ball — a dance
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bank — for money

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