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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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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: mug · rest · field · board · mark · kid · rule · cap

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mug — a face
  4. field — for sport
  5. rule — a law
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. cap — of ice
  9. field — a subject
  10. board — to get on
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. field — farmland
  16. rule — government
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mark — a grade
  19. kid — child
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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