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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. board — to get on
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. board — a committee
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hand — help
  22. cold — not warm
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pitch — completely

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