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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. face — part of the head
  4. firm — decided
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chest — of your body
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. firm — a company
  10. key — in music
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. firm — steady
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bat — the animal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chest — a box
  19. key — the most important part
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. face — to point toward
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. hide — to keep secret

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