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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cap — a hat
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cap — a lid
  6. face — part of the head
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. plane — a tool
  9. face — to confront
  10. cap — of ice
  11. snap — to click
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. board — to get on
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pound — a weight
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. board — a committee

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