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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. board — a committee
  3. face — to point toward
  4. land — a country
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. face — part of the head
  8. field — for sport
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. face — to confront
  11. field — farmland
  12. mine — for digging
  13. field — a subject
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. board — to get on
  17. stand — to bear
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. land — ground
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mine — an explosive

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