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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 116 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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. court — for sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. spring — a coil
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. spring — of water
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pass — a permit
  10. court — of law
  11. tear — from crying
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. spring — the season
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. tear — to rip
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. face — to point toward
  19. board — a committee
  20. sharp — clever
  21. court — of a king
  22. tear — from crying
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. sharp — with an edge

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