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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cap — a lid
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. ball — a dance
  14. face — to confront
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. cap — a hat
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stock — shares
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cap — of ice
  24. chair — a leader

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