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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. saw — the tool
  3. shower — to wash
  4. can — to be able to
  5. face — part of the head
  6. perch — the fish
  7. face — to point toward
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. can — a tin
  10. rule — government
  11. scale — in music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stock — shares
  17. face — to confront
  18. stock — goods
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. can — a tin
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. scale — size or range

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