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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: hide · fall · face · rule · board · cell · fine · field

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fall — the season
  4. field — for sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. rule — a law
  8. field — farmland
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. rule — government
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cell — in biology
  17. board — a committee
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. field — a subject
  21. board — to get on
  22. face — to confront
  23. cell — a phone
  24. face — to point toward

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