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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. stock — goods
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. face — to point toward
  5. snap — to click
  6. club — a group
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. club — for dancing
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. club — for golf
  19. stock — shares
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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