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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: face · fan · drill · lie · board · hand · capital · rock

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hand — help
  4. board — a committee
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. face — part of the head
  8. drill — army training
  9. hand — in cards
  10. capital — money
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. board — to get on
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. face — to confront
  20. capital — a city
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. capital — a big letter
  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