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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. face — to confront
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stock — goods
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. net — in sport
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. toast — bread
  17. stock — shares
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. net — after costs
  20. date — the fruit
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. net — for catching
  24. stock — a soup base

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