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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · fan · row · face · safe · wind · ground · game

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. face — to point toward
  6. board — to get on
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. row — to paddle
  11. game — a match
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — crushed
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. face — to confront
  19. row — a line
  20. wind — moving air
  21. board — a committee
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. face — part of the head

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