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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. face — to point toward
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. face — part of the head
  5. cold — an illness
  6. swing — music
  7. mark — a grade
  8. face — to confront
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. swing — to play on
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. club — for golf
  18. mark — a trace
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. object — to protest
  22. cold — not warm
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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