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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. mate — a partner
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mate — to breed
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. drill — army training
  11. mate — a friend
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. stock — goods
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cap — a hat
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. cap — a lid
  20. face — to point toward
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stock — shares
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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