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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · field · pass · board · face · squash

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. field — for sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. field — a subject
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. face — part of the head
  8. chest — of your body
  9. field — farmland
  10. face — to confront
  11. board — to get on
  12. chest — a box
  13. squash — the sport
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pass — a permit
  17. face — to point toward
  18. board — a committee

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