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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. present — there
  3. face — to confront
  4. club — a group
  5. rest — what's left
  6. face — to point toward
  7. rest — what's left
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rest — a break
  10. club — for dancing
  11. row — a line
  12. row — to paddle
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — for sport
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. present — a gift
  17. club — for golf
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. field — a subject
  21. face — part of the head
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. board — to get on
  24. present — the time now

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