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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. face — to confront
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rock — a stone
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rule — government
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stock — shares
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rock — music
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. kid — child
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stock — goods
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rule — a law
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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