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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. key — in music
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stock — goods
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. season — of the year
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — an illness
  10. face — to confront
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fall — to drop
  13. track — a path
  14. key — the most important part
  15. stock — shares
  16. season — in sport
  17. track — to keep track
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — a song
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fall — the season
  22. key — for a lock
  23. fall — to drop
  24. face — part of the head

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