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

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pass — a permit
  3. face — to confront
  4. field — for sport
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. field — farmland
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. field — a subject
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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