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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. face — to confront
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. board — a committee
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fine — all right
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fine — high quality
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lie — to recline
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. face — part of the head
  19. board — to get on
  20. capital — a city
  21. cell — in biology
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. game — a match
  24. capital — money

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