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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fall — to drop
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fall — to drop
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. cap — a lid
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. cap — of ice
  16. board — to get on
  17. field — for sport
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fall — the season
  20. band — a ring
  21. board — a committee
  22. band — a music group
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. face — to confront

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