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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: deal · last · wake · race · board · lean · cabinet · face

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. race — a contest
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. lean — thin
  6. board — a committee
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wake — a trail
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. face — to confront
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. last — to go on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. last — final
  20. deal — to handle
  21. last — finally
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lean — to bend
  24. race — humankind

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