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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rule — a law
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. pit — a hole
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. kick — in football
  12. tear — from crying
  13. face — to confront
  14. scale — in music
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rule — government
  17. stock — shares
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — part of the head
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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