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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. face — to confront
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. board — a committee
  10. clip — to cut
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. face — to point toward
  14. board — to get on
  15. clip — a video
  16. charge — in control
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. face — part of the head
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. clip — for paper

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