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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 116 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 · net · board · mug · game · mark · ball · band

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mug — to rob
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — for sport
  7. ball — a dance
  8. band — a music group
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. mark — a trace
  12. board — a committee
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. net — for catching
  15. game — a match
  16. mug — a cup
  17. net — in sport
  18. mug — a face
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. band — a ring
  22. mark — a grade
  23. game — wild animals
  24. band — a rubber band

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