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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 120 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: march · lie · scale · sharp · face · rule · board · staff

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. face — to confront
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. scale — size or range
  5. face — to point toward
  6. board — to get on
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. staff — a stick
  9. board — a committee
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. face — part of the head
  12. staff — employees
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. rule — government
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. scale — in music
  18. sharp — clever
  19. staff — employees
  20. rule — a law
  21. lie — to recline
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. march — the month
  24. scale — for weighing

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