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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cold — an illness
  5. toast — bread
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. face — to confront
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. deal — to handle
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — to get on
  15. file — a line of people
  16. face — to point toward
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. cold — not warm
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stand — to bear
  24. temple — side of the head

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