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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. net — for catching
  4. board — a committee
  5. row — a line
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rash — hasty
  8. net — in sport
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bound — tied together
  12. board — to get on
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. face — to confront
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rock — music
  18. bound — certain
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lie — to recline
  21. net — after costs
  22. rash — a series
  23. bound — obliged
  24. row — a quarrel

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