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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. firm — steady
  3. face — to confront
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fall — to drop
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. season — in sport
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fall — the season
  17. season — of the year
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. firm — decided
  20. board — to get on
  21. firm — a company
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ball — a round shape

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