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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: ground · track · field · date · board · charge · game · can

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — in control
  6. board — a committee
  7. field — a subject
  8. track — a song
  9. ground — a position
  10. game — wild animals
  11. ground — crushed
  12. date — the fruit
  13. can — a tin
  14. field — for sport
  15. board — to get on
  16. track — a path
  17. field — farmland
  18. charge — a price
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. can — a tin
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. ground — the earth
  23. track — to keep track
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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