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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 120 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. board — a committee
  3. chip — for betting
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — part of the head
  6. hand — help
  7. current — electric
  8. last — finally
  9. spell — magic
  10. last — to go on
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. current — of water
  13. spell — letters
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. current — happening now
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. chip — to eat
  19. board — to get on
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — in cards
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — final
  24. spell — a short time

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