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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. board — a committee
  3. drill — the tool
  4. field — farmland
  5. object — to protest
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. drill — army training
  10. face — to confront
  11. saw — the tool
  12. field — a subject
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. object — a thing
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stock — goods
  18. field — for sport
  19. board — to get on
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stock — shares
  22. face — to point toward
  23. object — an aim
  24. drill — a practice

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