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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: roll · pop · face · tear · race · stick · season · board

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. season — of the year
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — part of the head
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. season — in sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. race — humankind
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. roll — a list
  12. face — to confront
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pop — music
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pop — soda
  19. roll — a cake
  20. race — a contest
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. board — to get on

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