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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bass — low music
  4. spell — letters
  5. last — finally
  6. face — to point toward
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. last — to go on
  9. stock — goods
  10. spell — magic
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. face — to confront
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. last — final
  16. vault — a safe
  17. bass — the fish
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stock — shares
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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