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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. stock — shares
  3. mate — a friend
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stock — goods
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. mark — a grade
  11. mate — to breed
  12. land — a country
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. land — to come down
  15. press — to push
  16. press — newspapers
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mate — a partner
  24. land — ground

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