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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rule — government
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stock — goods
  6. fall — to drop
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. fall — the season
  12. rule — a law
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. stock — shares
  16. face — to confront
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. fall — to drop

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