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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. wake — a trail
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bat — the animal
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. face — part of the head
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. face — to confront
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. roll — a list
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stand — to bear
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a cake
  23. board — to get on
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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