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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mate — a friend
  4. deal — to handle
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wound — an injury
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. face — to point toward
  11. drill — the tool
  12. face — to confront
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mate — to breed
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. board — to get on
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — of ice
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mate — a partner
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. drill — army training

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