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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. bound — obliged
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. board — to get on
  7. game — a match
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. plane — a tool
  10. current — electric
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. current — of water
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bound — certain
  15. game — wild animals
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. cold — not warm
  19. current — happening now
  20. cold — an illness
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bound — tied together
  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