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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: lie · mine · present · date · board · scale · face · roll

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. roll — a list
  3. board — to get on
  4. present — the time now
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. roll — a cake
  7. face — to confront
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mine — for digging
  10. date — the fruit
  11. board — a committee
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. scale — size or range
  14. face — part of the head
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. face — to point toward
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. present — a gift
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. scale — in music
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. lie — to recline
  24. present — there

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