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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 · march · date · field · foot · bound · ball · stand

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. march — the month
  3. bound — obliged
  4. foot — a measure
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. ball — a great time
  9. march — the month
  10. field — a subject
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. march — music
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — to bear
  17. field — for sport
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. date — the fruit
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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