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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. date — the fruit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. net — after costs
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stock — goods
  8. mark — a grade
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. net — for catching
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mark — a trace
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. face — to confront
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. march — the month
  18. net — in sport
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. face — to point toward
  21. march — music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. dip — to sink
  24. arm — part of the body

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