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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. game — wild animals
  7. board — to get on
  8. game — a match
  9. face — to confront
  10. roll — a list
  11. stand — to bear
  12. board — a committee
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. face — to point toward
  19. roll — a cake
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. stand — on your feet

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