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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — a match
  6. net — after costs
  7. fall — the season
  8. bank — for money
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bank — for money
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bank — of a river
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. board — to get on
  16. face — part of the head
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. board — a committee
  20. face — to point toward
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. game — wild animals
  23. net — for catching
  24. net — in sport

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