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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: rest · leaves · drill · face · game · land · board · tube

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. rest — a break
  3. game — wild animals
  4. board — to get on
  5. rest — what's left
  6. board — a committee
  7. face — to confront
  8. land — to come down
  9. face — part of the head
  10. tube — the underground
  11. face — to point toward
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. game — a match
  16. drill — a practice
  17. rest — what's left
  18. tube — a container
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. land — ground
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. land — a country
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. leaves — lets stay

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