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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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468
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: kick · pit · bowl · land · board · leaves · field · saw

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. board — a committee
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. pit — in a race
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. land — to come down
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. kick — in football
  10. saw — the tool
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. pit — a hole
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. field — for sport
  19. land — ground
  20. saw — the tool
  21. land — a country
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. board — to get on
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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