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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. plane — a tool
  6. spell — letters
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. board — to get on
  9. face — part of the head
  10. season — in sport
  11. lie — to recline
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. season — of the year
  15. face — to point toward
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bark — to shout
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. face — to confront
  23. board — a committee
  24. season — to add flavour

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