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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. rush — hurry
  6. board — to get on
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mine — for digging
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. kick — in football
  13. face — to confront
  14. band — a music group
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. band — a ring
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. face — to point toward

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