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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: key · board · dip · cabinet · field · face · saw · mate

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. saw — the tool
  5. face — part of the head
  6. field — a subject
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. mate — to breed
  12. key — the most important part
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. field — for sport
  15. face — to confront
  16. field — farmland
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — a partner
  22. face — to point toward
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mate — a friend

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