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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mate — to breed
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stock — goods
  8. mate — a friend
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mate — a partner
  17. current — of water
  18. ball — a great time
  19. current — happening now
  20. face — to confront
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stock — shares
  23. mine — for digging
  24. current — electric

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