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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. cold — not warm
  5. drill — the tool
  6. board — a committee
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a line of people
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. drill — a practice
  15. board — to get on
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mine — for digging
  18. face — to confront
  19. drill — army training
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. file — a tool
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mine — belonging to me

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