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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rest — a break
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. file — a tool
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. face — to point toward
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. face — part of the head
  12. row — a line
  13. file — a document
  14. face — to confront
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. file — a line of people
  17. spring — the season
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stock — goods
  21. rest — what's left
  22. row — to paddle
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rest — what's left

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