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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. face — to confront
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. file — a tool
  5. board — a committee
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. board — to get on
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. sharp — clever
  12. lie — to recline
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. face — part of the head
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. face — to point toward

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