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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. net — for catching
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. net — after costs
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. object — to protest
  7. shower — to wash
  8. firm — steady
  9. wax — to grow
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — in sport
  12. firm — a company
  13. object — an aim
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. shower — rain
  17. stock — shares
  18. object — a thing
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. firm — decided
  24. stock — goods

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