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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: pit · race · club · board · branch · field · dip · land

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pit — a hole
  5. land — ground
  6. race — a contest
  7. board — to get on
  8. club — a group
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. field — farmland
  11. land — a country
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. club — for golf
  16. dip — to sink
  17. land — to come down
  18. board — a committee
  19. race — the arms race
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. field — a subject
  23. pit — in a race
  24. race — humankind

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