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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: rash · kid · pop · face · cold · swing · board · nail

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pop — music
  4. rash — a series
  5. face — to confront
  6. pop — to visit
  7. kid — child
  8. face — part of the head
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. pop — soda
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rash — on the skin
  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