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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chest — a box
  3. field — for sport
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cue — for pool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. face — to confront
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cue — a hint
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. field — a subject
  14. cue — a signal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chest — of your body
  18. face — part of the head
  19. field — farmland
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. stock — shares
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wound — an injury

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