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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. board — a committee
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bat — the animal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. board — to get on
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. rock — music
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. game — a match
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — a weight
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. sharp — clever

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