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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: jam · bowl · band · kick · file · craft · board · face

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. board — to get on
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. file — a document
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. face — to point toward
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. face — to confront
  16. band — a ring
  17. kick — in football
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. band — a music group
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. craft — boats

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