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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. stock — goods
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. stock — shares
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bear — the animal
  12. row — a line
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. march — music
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. march — the month
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. saw — the tool
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. face — to point toward

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