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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. board — a committee
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. court — for sport
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. face — to confront
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. face — part of the head
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. board — to get on
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. plane — a tool

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