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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
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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: date · last · board · snap · tube · face · hide · rash

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. last — finally
  3. board — a committee
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tube — a container
  8. date — the fruit
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. snap — to click
  12. rash — a series
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. face — part of the head
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. tube — the underground
  19. last — final
  20. face — to point toward
  21. last — to go on
  22. face — to confront
  23. rash — hasty
  24. date — on the calendar

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