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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. stock — goods
  3. face — to point toward
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fine — high quality
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. face — to confront
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ground — crushed
  17. board — a committee
  18. roll — a cake
  19. kid — to tease
  20. ground — the earth
  21. roll — a list
  22. fine — all right
  23. kid — child
  24. mine — belonging to me

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