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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. face — to confront
  3. track — a song
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rule — government
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. track — a path
  13. shower — rain
  14. face — part of the head
  15. plane — a tool
  16. rule — a law
  17. track — to keep track
  18. face — to point toward

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