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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. face — part of the head
  7. roll — a cake
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. board — to get on
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. board — a committee
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. face — to point toward
  15. tube — the underground
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. season — of the year
  18. stock — shares
  19. season — in sport
  20. tube — a container
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. roll — a list
  24. stock — goods

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