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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. face — to point toward
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. track — a path
  6. board — a committee
  7. face — to confront
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. prune — to trim
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. track — a song
  12. prune — to trim
  13. track — to keep track
  14. squash — the sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. object — a thing
  18. face — part of the head
  19. band — a music group
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. squash — to crush
  22. band — a ring
  23. board — to get on
  24. object — an aim

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