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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.

Make a worksheet

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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — to confront
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cell — a phone
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. spell — magic
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stock — shares
  11. spell — letters
  12. foot — a measure
  13. cell — in biology
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. face — to point toward
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. stock — goods

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