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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 120 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. stock — shares
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rash — hasty
  5. season — in sport
  6. face — to confront
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. capital — a city
  9. season — of the year
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. capital — money
  17. face — part of the head
  18. tube — the underground
  19. stock — goods
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. deal — to handle
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. saw — the tool

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