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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. season — in sport
  3. face — to confront
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hand — in cards
  7. march — the month
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. board — to get on
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. capital — a city
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. face — part of the head
  18. capital — money
  19. season — of the year
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. board — a committee
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. face — to point toward

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