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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: mine · board · charge · firm · press · hand · face · shower

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. firm — decided
  3. board — a committee
  4. firm — a company
  5. face — to confront
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. press — newspapers
  8. face — to point toward
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mine — for digging
  11. charge — in control
  12. face — part of the head
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. press — to push
  17. board — to get on
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. press — a publisher
  22. hand — in cards
  23. firm — steady
  24. hand — help

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