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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fork — in a road
  3. board — to get on
  4. face — to confront
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. field — a subject
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. mine — for digging
  22. board — a committee
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. hide — animal skin

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