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

Word bank: jam · board · cell · last · mate · face · bank · fine

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. fine — high quality
  5. last — to go on
  6. cell — a phone
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cell — in biology
  12. mate — a partner
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. face — part of the head
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. face — to confront
  17. fine — all right
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. mate — a friend
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. board — a committee
  23. bank — for money
  24. face — to point toward

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