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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. squash — to crush
  3. shower — rain
  4. rock — music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. face — to confront
  7. stock — goods
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. stock — shares
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. pound — a weight
  20. shower — to wash
  21. scale — in music
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. nail — for a hammer

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