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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. vault — a safe
  3. stock — shares
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. band — a ring
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stock — goods
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. band — a music group

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