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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 124 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. wound — an injury
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. degree — from a university
  10. plane — a tool
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. degree — temperature
  17. degree — an amount
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ball — a great time

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