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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 116 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: face · bear · bass · hide · land · pass · cold · board

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. board — to get on
  3. cold — an illness
  4. land — to come down
  5. bear — the animal
  6. land — a country
  7. face — to point toward
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. bass — low music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. face — to confront
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cold — not warm
  16. pass — a permit
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. board — a committee

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