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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: last · pop · board · bay · chair · game · field · cap

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pop — soda
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. field — farmland
  5. pop — music
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. chair — a leader
  9. game — wild animals
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. cap — a lid
  16. game — a match
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. board — a committee
  23. pop — to visit
  24. chair — to sit 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