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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: clip · face · temple · chest · row · board · track · ruler

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. board — a committee
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. clip — for paper
  5. track — a song
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chest — a box
  8. board — to get on
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. clip — a video
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. chest — of your body
  13. track — a path
  14. row — a line
  15. face — part of the head
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. face — to confront
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. chest — of your body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a quarrel

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