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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: board · court · ground · field · dip · hide · wake · pitcher

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. field — farmland
  4. board — to get on
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wake — a trail
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. board — a committee
  12. ground — a position
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. court — of a king
  17. field — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. field — a subject
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — before a funeral

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