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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. board — a committee
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. board — to get on
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. shower — rain
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. saw — the tool
  18. face — to point toward
  19. game — wild animals
  20. face — to confront
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. game — a match
  24. saw — the tool

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