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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. net — in sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mug — a cup
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stock — goods
  13. mug — to rob
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. kick — in football
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stock — shares
  24. mug — a face

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