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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. date — the fruit
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chest — a box
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stock — shares
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. stock — goods
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. face — to confront

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