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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 116 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bound — tied together
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. board — to get on
  7. last — finally
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kick — in football
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bound — certain
  15. board — a committee
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cell — a phone
  19. last — final
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rest — a break
  22. last — to go on
  23. mine — for digging
  24. board — a flat piece

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