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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — to point toward
  3. staff — a stick
  4. face — to confront
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. field — for sport
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cue — a hint
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. stock — shares
  11. staff — employees
  12. staff — employees
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — farmland
  15. cue — a signal
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. stock — goods
  23. cue — for pool
  24. field — a subject

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