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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.

Words on the sheet
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: march · board · patient · ground · clip · racket · track · chip

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. ground — a position
  3. board — to get on
  4. chip — for betting
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. board — a committee
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ground — crushed
  9. march — the month
  10. clip — to cut
  11. march — music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — the earth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chip — to eat
  19. track — to keep track
  20. march — the month
  21. clip — a video
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. track — a song

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