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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ground — the earth
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. net — after costs
  6. rest — what's left
  7. board — to get on
  8. ground — crushed
  9. field — farmland
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — for catching
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bark — to shout
  16. ground — a position
  17. net — in sport
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. board — a committee
  22. face — to confront
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. rest — a break

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