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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mug — a cup
  4. board — a committee
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. board — to get on
  7. mug — to rob
  8. face — part of the head
  9. march — the month
  10. face — to point toward
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. face — to confront
  13. game — wild animals
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mug — a face
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. march — the month
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. march — music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. game — a match

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