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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rash — hasty
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rash — a series
  6. face — to confront
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. board — a committee
  9. mark — a trace
  10. pound — a weight
  11. board — to get on
  12. mark — a grade
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. band — a music group
  15. face — to point toward
  16. net — for catching
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. net — in sport
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — after costs
  24. rash — on the skin

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