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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mark — a trace
  5. dip — to sink
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. race — the arms race
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cap — a hat
  13. board — a committee
  14. cap — of ice
  15. race — a contest
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. face — to confront
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. race — humankind
  21. board — to get on
  22. season — of the year
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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