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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. chest — of your body
  3. board — a committee
  4. face — to confront
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wound — an injury
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. chest — a box
  12. firm — steady
  13. stock — goods
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. firm — a company
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. stock — shares
  22. board — to get on
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. firm — decided

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