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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. face — to point toward
  3. board — to get on
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. lean — thin
  6. pit — in a race
  7. lean — to bend
  8. face — to confront
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. object — a thing
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pit — a hole
  19. object — an aim
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. object — to protest
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. board — a committee
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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