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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: lash · board · pop · face · ground · bowl · bore · game

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. game — a match
  3. face — to point toward
  4. ground — crushed
  5. board — to get on
  6. pop — music
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. face — to confront
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. board — a committee
  16. face — part of the head
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bore — to tire
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ground — a position
  24. pop — to visit

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