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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stock — shares
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. net — for catching
  9. face — to point toward
  10. object — to protest
  11. face — to confront
  12. stock — goods
  13. object — a thing
  14. net — after costs
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. object — an aim
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. net — in sport
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. dip — to sink

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