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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.

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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stock — shares
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. ground — crushed
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. stock — goods
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rush — hurry
  22. face — to confront
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. 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