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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. tear — from crying
  3. last — finally
  4. face — to point toward
  5. roll — a cake
  6. last — final
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stock — goods
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. tear — from crying
  11. board — to get on
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. tear — to rip
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. last — to go on
  16. stock — shares
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. face — to confront
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. kick — in football
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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