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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. saw — the tool
  3. present — a gift
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. present — the time now
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. can — to be able to
  9. face — to confront
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. present — there
  12. can — a tin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. can — a tin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — to point toward
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. face — part of the head
  21. stock — shares
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bowl — a football final

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