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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: face · roll · bay · rash · board · clip · suit · lean

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. board — a committee
  3. clip — for paper
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. suit — clothes
  7. roll — a list
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. lean — to bend
  11. roll — a cake
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. rash — hasty
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rash — a series
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. clip — a video
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to point toward
  23. board — to get on
  24. suit — in cards

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