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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. face — to point toward
  8. file — a tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stock — goods
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. content — happy
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. bark — to shout
  23. content — the amount
  24. stock — a soup base

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