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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. face — to confront
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chair — a leader
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cold — not warm
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. cap — of ice
  18. chip — for betting
  19. saw — the tool
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cap — a lid
  24. chair — a professorship

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