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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: fine · kid · pass · row · season · face · bound · board

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. board — a committee
  5. season — in sport
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bound — obliged
  9. row — to paddle
  10. kid — child
  11. bound — tied together
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. board — to get on
  15. fine — high quality
  16. season — of the year
  17. bound — certain
  18. row — a line
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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