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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. present — there
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. shower — rain
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. present — the time now
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. board — to get on
  12. shower — to wash
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. face — part of the head
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. present — a gift
  20. board — a committee
  21. bank — for money
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. saw — the tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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