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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 120 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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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 · pitcher · foot · field · current · chest · wave · board

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. field — a subject
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. field — for sport
  8. current — happening now
  9. game — wild animals
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. game — a match
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. board — a committee
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. foot — a measure
  23. chest — of your body
  24. field — farmland

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