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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. face — to confront
  3. stock — goods
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stock — shares
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. can — to be able to
  9. ball — a great time
  10. can — a tin
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. face — to point toward
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. can — a tin
  16. ball — a dance
  17. field — for sport
  18. rash — hasty
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. rash — a series
  24. branch — a division

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