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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. ground — crushed
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ground — a position
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. ground — the earth
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. stock — goods
  11. land — a country
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bass — the fish
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. land — ground
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bass — low music
  19. suit — to fit
  20. land — to come down
  21. suit — in cards
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wound — an injury

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