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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. board — a committee
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. plane — a tool
  6. face — to confront
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. face — part of the head
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bat — the animal
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — from a university
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. board — to get on
  24. bat — in an idiom

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