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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. face — to confront
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. kid — child
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. kid — to tease
  14. season — of the year
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stock — shares
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. face — to point toward
  23. season — in sport
  24. racket — a loud noise

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