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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: rest · board · date · charge · net · ground · pound · face

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. net — after costs
  3. face — to confront
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. charge — in control
  6. board — a committee
  7. rest — what's left
  8. face — part of the head
  9. board — to get on
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. date — the fruit
  17. face — to point toward
  18. net — in sport
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. net — for catching
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rest — a break
  24. ground — the earth

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