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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: bore · hide · face · fork · temple · staff · last · board

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. face — to confront
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. board — to get on
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. last — final
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bore — to drill
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bore — to tire
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. staff — employees
  16. board — a committee
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fork — in a road
  19. last — finally
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. face — to point toward
  24. staff — employees

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