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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. band — a music group
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. drill — army training
  10. band — a ring
  11. drill — the tool
  12. content — happy
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. drill — a practice
  17. stock — goods
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. content — the amount
  24. racket — a loud noise

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