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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. board — a committee
  4. field — for sport
  5. capital — a city
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. capital — money
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. board — to get on
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. can — a tin
  17. field — a subject
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. field — farmland
  24. can — to be able to

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