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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: cabinet · drill · board · field · game · track · vault · sharp

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. track — a song
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. field — farmland
  7. drill — army training
  8. field — for sport
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. game — a match
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — a subject
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. track — a path
  21. sharp — clever
  22. vault — a safe
  23. drill — a practice
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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