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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stock — shares
  6. dip — to sink
  7. hand — in cards
  8. face — to confront
  9. object — to protest
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hand — help
  12. face — part of the head
  13. object — an aim
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. mug — a face
  18. roll — a list
  19. mug — a cup
  20. object — a thing
  21. roll — a cake
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stock — goods
  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