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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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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 · cold · squash · mug · field · can · ball · stand

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. field — farmland
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cold — not warm
  8. can — to be able to
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stand — to bear
  11. board — a committee
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cold — an illness
  14. ball — a great time
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. board — to get on
  19. can — a tin
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. can — a tin
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mug — a face

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