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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. hand — help
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. face — part of the head
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. hand — in cards
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. field — for sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. face — to confront
  16. field — a subject
  17. stock — goods
  18. stock — shares

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