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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chest — of your body
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. board — to get on
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. court — of a king
  8. shower — rain
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. foot — a measure
  12. board — a committee
  13. chest — a box
  14. rush — hurry
  15. chest — of your body
  16. court — of law
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. band — a music group
  19. court — for sport
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. band — a ring
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. band — a rubber band

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