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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. net — in sport
  3. board — a committee
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. net — for catching
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. capital — money
  10. mark — a grade
  11. face — to confront
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. net — after costs
  14. fork — in a road
  15. capital — a city
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. face — part of the head
  20. board — to get on
  21. mark — a trace
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. row — to paddle

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