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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. stock — goods
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. face — to confront
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. chest — of your body
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. shower — to wash
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. shower — rain
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stock — shares
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pit — in a race
  20. chest — a box
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pit — a hole
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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