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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: straw · bowl · dip · ruler · field · stick · cap · board

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cap — of ice
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cap — a lid
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. field — farmland
  20. board — to get on
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. dip — to sink
  24. field — a subject

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