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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. object — to protest
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. shower — rain
  6. bat — the animal
  7. face — to point toward
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. object — a thing
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. face — to confront
  17. wind — moving air
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mark — a trace
  20. shower — to wash
  21. stock — goods
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mark — a grade
  24. object — an aim

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