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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. shower — to wash
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bat — the animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. stock — goods
  7. object — a thing
  8. fork — in a road
  9. face — part of the head
  10. foot — a measure
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. face — to confront
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. saw — the tool
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. stock — shares
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bat — for baseball

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