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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. face — part of the head
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. stock — shares
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. plane — a tool
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fan — to cool the air

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