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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mate — a friend
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — the sport
  17. hand — in cards
  18. face — to confront
  19. stock — goods
  20. saw — the tool
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stock — shares
  23. hand — help
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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