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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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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: toast · mate · board · vault · face · wound · ground · pass

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ground — crushed
  4. face — to point toward
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. board — a committee
  9. vault — a safe
  10. board — to get on
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wound — an injury
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. ground — the earth
  15. mate — a friend
  16. toast — bread
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mate — a partner
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ground — a position
  24. face — to confront

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