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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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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: race · rule · fall · board · bore · court · season · field

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. board — to get on
  3. field — for sport
  4. rule — a law
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. race — a contest
  10. field — farmland
  11. rule — government
  12. fall — to drop
  13. season — in sport
  14. race — humankind
  15. court — of a king
  16. board — a committee
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. fall — the season
  19. field — a subject
  20. race — the arms race
  21. season — of the year
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bore — to tire

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