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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. roll — a cake
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. can — a tin
  7. face — to confront
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. file — a tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. can — to be able to
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. board — a committee
  19. roll — a list
  20. file — a document
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. board — to get on
  23. file — a line of people
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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