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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. spell — magic
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. clip — for paper
  5. board — a committee
  6. face — part of the head
  7. field — farmland
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. ground — the earth
  10. toast — bread
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. spell — a short time
  13. ground — crushed
  14. face — to confront
  15. field — for sport
  16. board — to get on
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. ground — a position
  19. clip — to cut
  20. plane — a tool
  21. spell — letters
  22. field — a subject
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. clip — a video

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