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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · fork · rash · suit · board · wound · field · game

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. game — wild animals
  3. suit — in cards
  4. field — farmland
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. game — a match
  7. suit — clothes
  8. board — to get on
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fork — in a road
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. field — for sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — hasty
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. field — a subject
  19. board — a committee
  20. date — the fruit
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. suit — to fit
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. wound — an injury

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