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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. board — a committee
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. mine — for digging
  6. object — to protest
  7. row — to paddle
  8. degree — temperature
  9. object — a thing
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — an amount
  12. face — to point toward
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. board — to get on
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. row — a line
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. object — an aim
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. face — part of the head

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