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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 120 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: board · wind · mate · face · pound · file · ground · suit

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. face — to confront
  5. pound — a weight
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. board — to get on
  9. suit — clothes
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. file — a document
  13. board — a committee
  14. mate — a partner
  15. suit — in cards
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. face — to point toward
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. ground — a position
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mate — a friend

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