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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. snap — to click
  3. clip — for paper
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. stock — shares
  6. lean — thin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stand — to bear
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. clip — to cut
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. face — to confront
  23. dip — to sink
  24. clip — a video

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