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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: chair · rest · board · land · can · season · pop · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — farmland
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. board — a committee
  8. pop — to visit
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pop — soda
  13. season — of the year
  14. land — a country
  15. field — for sport
  16. chair — a leader
  17. board — to get on
  18. land — ground
  19. season — in sport
  20. can — a tin
  21. rest — a break
  22. land — to come down
  23. pop — music
  24. board — a flat piece

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