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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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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: pitcher · game · board · club · field · lie · staff · pop

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. field — for sport
  5. board — to get on
  6. staff — a stick
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. lie — to recline
  9. game — wild animals
  10. field — a subject
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. board — a committee
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. game — a match
  17. pop — music
  18. field — farmland
  19. pop — soda
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. club — a group
  22. pop — to visit
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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