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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. fine — high quality
  5. face — to confront
  6. lean — to bend
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. face — part of the head
  9. board — to get on
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. board — a committee
  12. wake — a trail
  13. snap — to click
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. kick — in football
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. lean — thin
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. face — to point toward

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