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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 116 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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. board — a committee
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. face — to point toward
  5. row — to paddle
  6. tube — the underground
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. rash — hasty
  12. board — to get on
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. face — part of the head
  21. row — a line
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. rash — a series

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