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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. field — a subject
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. current — electric
  8. field — farmland
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. saw — the tool
  12. current — happening now
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. current — of water
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. field — for sport
  18. rush — hurry
  19. face — part of the head
  20. row — to paddle
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. stock — goods
  24. face — to confront

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