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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. degree — an amount
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rash — a series
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rest — what's left
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. degree — temperature
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stock — goods
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rest — a break
  23. stock — shares
  24. face — part of the head

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