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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: land · hide · bass · bore · board · suit · face · mate

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mate — a friend
  3. land — ground
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. suit — in cards
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. suit — clothes
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mate — to breed
  14. board — to get on
  15. bore — to tire
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bass — the fish
  19. suit — to fit
  20. land — a country
  21. face — to confront
  22. land — to come down
  23. board — a committee
  24. bore — to drill

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