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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. swing — music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. stock — goods
  6. press — a publisher
  7. plane — a tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. land — a country
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. perch — the fish
  12. land — to come down
  13. stock — shares
  14. face — to confront
  15. press — newspapers
  16. swing — to play on
  17. land — ground
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. press — to push
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pound — a weight

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