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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rash — a series
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rash — hasty
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. sharp — clever
  10. game — a match
  11. face — to confront
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. board — to get on
  14. band — a music group
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. band — a ring
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. hide — animal skin

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