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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. face — to confront
  3. pop — to visit
  4. last — final
  5. degree — temperature
  6. last — finally
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. pop — music
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. pop — soda
  11. last — to go on
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stock — goods
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. degree — an amount
  24. bat — in an idiom

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