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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. face — part of the head
  3. prune — to trim
  4. stock — shares
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bass — low music
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mate — a friend
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. face — to confront
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mate — a partner
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stock — goods
  20. prune — to trim
  21. row — a line
  22. bass — the fish
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stock — a soup base

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