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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: field · board · kid · sharp · mine · game · pit · mug

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. mug — a cup
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. kid — child
  5. game — a match
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pit — in a race
  8. game — wild animals
  9. board — to get on
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. kid — to tease
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. field — farmland
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mine — for digging
  17. field — a subject
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mug — a face
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. board — a committee
  22. pit — a hole
  23. field — for sport
  24. mug — to rob

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