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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: game · safe · board · foot · cell · field · press · land

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. land — ground
  3. game — a match
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. press — to push
  6. board — a committee
  7. land — to come down
  8. field — a subject
  9. foot — a measure
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. land — a country
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. field — for sport
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. press — newspapers
  23. field — farmland
  24. game — wild animals

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