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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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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: nail · bowl · face · board · cell · stand · track · straw

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. face — part of the head
  8. board — to get on
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cell — in biology
  14. board — a committee
  15. track — a song
  16. cell — a phone
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. face — to confront
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. nail — on a finger

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