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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. sharp — clever
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. board — to get on
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. branch — a division
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. board — a committee
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. degree — temperature
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pass — a permit
  21. face — to confront
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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