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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: wound · board · race · dip · foot · face · content · track

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. face — to confront
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — the arms race
  6. board — to get on
  7. wound — an injury
  8. foot — a measure
  9. race — humankind
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a path
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. track — a song
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. track — to keep track
  19. dip — to sink
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. face — part of the head
  22. content — happy
  23. board — a committee
  24. content — the amount

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