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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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 — part of the head
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. face — to confront
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stock — shares
  6. can — a tin
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pit — in a race
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — a match
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stock — goods
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. game — wild animals
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. march — the month
  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