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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. face — part of the head
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. tube — a container
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cell — in biology
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fall — the season
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. face — to confront
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cell — a phone
  22. key — for a lock
  23. march — the month
  24. patient — a sick person

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