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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. face — part of the head
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. face — to confront
  5. stock — goods
  6. net — in sport
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. net — for catching
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stock — shares
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. net — after costs
  18. sharp — clever
  19. face — to point toward
  20. degree — from a university
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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