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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. row — a line
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pit — a hole
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bass — low music
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rash — a series
  17. bass — the fish
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. board — a committee
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pit — in a race
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bat — the animal

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