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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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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 · racket · rock · rule · field · club · kid · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. club — for golf
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — to tease
  6. club — for dancing
  7. field — farmland
  8. kid — child
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. rule — a law
  11. rock — a stone
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — for sport
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. club — a group
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. board — to get on
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. rock — music

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