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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — a tin
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stock — shares
  8. mug — a face
  9. can — to be able to
  10. drill — army training
  11. stock — goods
  12. drill — the tool
  13. degree — temperature
  14. degree — an amount
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. degree — from a university
  19. mug — a cup
  20. can — a tin
  21. face — part of the head
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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