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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was 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. rock — a stone
  3. court — for sport
  4. rock — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stock — goods
  7. face — to confront
  8. stock — shares
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — in sport
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. season — of the year
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. kid — child

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