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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. face — to confront
  3. present — a gift
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stock — shares
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stock — goods
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cell — a phone
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wax — to grow
  19. shower — rain
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. present — there
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. wax — in the ear

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