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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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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: deal · mark · face · board · sharp · field · straw · mine

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. face — to point toward
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mark — a grade
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mark — a trace
  17. face — to confront
  18. field — a subject
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. board — a committee
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. sharp — with an edge

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