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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 116 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: face · craft · game · drill · pound · board · row · ball

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. pound — a weight
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. board — a committee
  6. game — a match
  7. ball — a great time
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — to get on
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. craft — boats
  13. drill — army training
  14. game — wild animals
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. row — a line
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ball — a dance
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. drill — a practice
  24. face — to point toward

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