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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pop — soda
  3. present — a gift
  4. ground — crushed
  5. present — there
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. bank — for money
  9. ground — a position
  10. bank — of a river
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bank — for money
  13. field — for sport
  14. ground — the earth
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. face — part of the head
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — to point toward
  19. field — farmland
  20. board — a committee
  21. pop — music
  22. board — to get on
  23. pop — to visit
  24. present — the time now

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