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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. chest — of your body
  3. face — to confront
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stock — shares
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. face — to point toward
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chest — a box
  13. suit — clothes
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. degree — temperature
  16. face — part of the head
  17. chest — of your body
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stock — goods
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lie — to recline
  23. degree — an amount
  24. snap — to click

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