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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. face — part of the head
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. face — to confront
  7. row — a line
  8. bass — the fish
  9. board — a committee
  10. court — of law
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. board — to get on
  13. bass — low music
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lie — to recline
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. game — a match
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. game — wild animals

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