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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. drill — a practice
  5. date — the fruit
  6. key — for a lock
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. face — part of the head
  12. drill — army training
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — to confront
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stock — shares
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. face — to point toward
  23. stock — goods
  24. drill — the tool

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