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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: board · bank · sharp · rock · bowl · kid · field · hand

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rock — music
  4. field — for sport
  5. kid — to tease
  6. field — farmland
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rock — a stone
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. board — to get on
  16. bank — for money
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — a committee
  19. field — a subject
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. hand — help

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