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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 116 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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. board — to get on
  5. band — a music group
  6. face — to point toward
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — a committee
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. lean — thin
  11. object — an aim
  12. pass — a permit
  13. land — a country
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. face — part of the head
  17. land — ground
  18. object — a thing
  19. lean — to bend
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. land — to come down
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. face — to confront

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