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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. board — a committee
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. face — to confront
  5. fine — all right
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. board — to get on
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. fine — high quality
  17. face — to point toward
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. hand — help

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